[Overseas News] "Counterattack"? Go to Paris! AkzoNobel Sells Seven-Nation Decorative Coatings Business for $1.35 Billion

International News Digest:

Raw Material News：Post-holiday surge in crude oil prices triggers cost revaluation.PA6Hold steady and wait for the price to rise.PA66High-level resilience

Packaging News: Divesting $2.5 Billion in Non-Core Assets! What Key Transformations Is Packaging Giant Amcor Planning?

Auto News: "Counterattack"? To Paris!

Construction and Building Materials News: AkzoNobel Sells Decorative Paints Business in Seven Countries for $1.35 Billion

Industry News: The UK toy market sends a clear signal, with structural adjustments underway across multiple categories.

Additives News: LANXESS Optimizes Product Portfolio for Rigid PU/PIR Insulation and Flame Retardancy

Macro News:Indonesian President Oversees Downstreaming of Chinese-Invested Mining Sector Launch Ceremony

Price information: CFR Southeast Asia at USD 1,090/ton, stable.

1. PA6: Prices retreated from 15,400 yuan/ton before the holiday and stabilized at 14,600 yuan/ton on October 8–9. Baling Petrochemical’s YH800 was quoted at 14,500 yuan/ton (as of September 30), while the imported high-viscosity grade Ube Japan 1030B was quoted at 18,800 yuan/ton (as of October 5). PA66: Quoted at 19,100 yuan/ton on October 9. Specific grade quotations were as follows: BASF A3WG6 at 24,000–26,000 yuan/ton, DuPont FR50 at 32,000–35,000 yuan/ton, Asahi Kasei 1300S at 27,000–30,000 yuan/ton, and Shenma EPR27 at 19,000–20,000 yuan/ton. Post-holiday, caprolactam was quoted at 13,950 yuan/ton on October 8, an increase of 150 yuan/ton.

2. Following its acquisition of Bemis and the subsequent major merger with Berry Global, global packaging giant Amcor has transformed into a mega industrial platform with annual revenues exceeding $20 billion.

However, in the face of the recent volatile trends in crude oil and resin prices, the impact of geopolitical conflicts on global supply chains, and the inflationary pressures borne by end consumers, how can this multi-billion-dollar packaging giant achieve the chemical integration of its vast and complex asset portfolio?

At the Jefferies Global Industrial Conference, Amcor’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Scherger directly addressed industry concerns and conducted an in-depth review of theBerry InternationalIntegration progress one year after the merger, cost pass-through mechanisms, capital expenditure discipline, and strategic direction for the next five years.

3. As the share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the European car market approaches 30% (reaching 29% in August) and electrified powertrains (including BEVs, plug-in hybrids, and conventional hybrids) account for half of the market for the first time, the real question is not about electrification itself, but rather who is driving this epochal shift in technological pathways.

The picture is becoming clearer: according to data compiled by Gasgoo, Chinese brands registered a total of 97,639 new vehicles in Europe in August, representing a year-on-year increase of 111%. In contrast, the overall European auto market grew by just 4.6% year on year. The market share of Chinese brands in Europe rose to 11.7%, reaching a historic high. Among individual companies, BYD registered 26,103 new vehicles in Europe in August, a 131% year-on-year increase, making it the best-selling Chinese brand in the region.

4. On October 5, Dutch coatings giant AkzoNobel announced that it had reached a binding agreement for Nippon Paint to acquire its decorative coatings business in seven countries at an enterprise value of approximately $1.35 billion (about RMB 9.05 billion).

The agreement covers AkzoNobel’s decorative paints businesses in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. AkzoNobel will retain full ownership of its coatings business and global business services organization.

AkzoNobel stated that the aforementioned transaction is valued at 21 times its 2025 fiscal year EBITDA. This transaction, together with the previously sold decorative coatings businesses in India and Pakistan, marks the formal conclusion of AkzoNobel’s review of its decorative coatings portfolio in Asia.

The transaction is expected to be completed by mid-2027, while the Indonesia business is anticipated to be divested separately by the end of 2026. AkzoNobel has clearly stated that it will thereafter “focus fully on successfully completing the merger with Axalta.”

5. In the first seven months of 2026, the UK toy market achieved an overall growth of 12%. After a prolonged decline in market share, the infant, toddler, and preschool toy segment has stabilized, while the board game category has undergone structural adjustments following the cooling of the trading card market. Traditional core categories performed steadily overall, with the true growth driving the market coming from several high-growth segments, including construction sets, other unspecified toy categories, and action figures.

The UK toy market is sending two clear signals. First, growth is increasingly driven by external factors. World Cup events have boosted sales of building block sets, film releases have spurred demand for action figures, and high-value-for-money products have seen rapid volume growth. These increases are triggered by a combination of sporting events, content releases, and pricing strategies. For companies, the focus in gauging market rhythm is shifting from “betting on categories” to “capturing windows of opportunity.” Second, the impact of IP licensing on growth has become more pronounced. IPs such as Bluey, Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol, and Pokémon are no longer confined to their original categories but are expanding into building blocks, plush toys, puzzles, electronic early-learning products, and more. The ability to operate across categories is becoming a key dimension in assessing the value of IP licensing.

The 24th CTE China Toy & Trendy Play Expo, organized by the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association, will be held from October 21 to 23, 2026, at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Covering an exhibition area of 230,000 square meters, the event will showcase a wide range of new products across various categories. It will also attract numerous international brands and buyers, creating an efficient matchmaking platform for toy enterprises both domestically and globally.

6. October 8, 2026 – German specialty chemicals company LANXESS has launched Purventis®, a new flame-retardant product platform for thermal insulation solutions. The platform’s first commercial product, Purventis® Core, is a reactive halogen-free phosphorus-based flame retardant designed for rigid polyurethane (PU) and polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation foams. Currently, polyol formulators, polyurethane compounders, and manufacturers of insulation panels and spray foams increasingly expect PU/PIR insulation systems to simultaneously deliver fire performance, low emissions, processing practicality, and long-term regulatory compliance. Purventis® Core was developed specifically to meet this market demand.

Rigid polyurethane (PU) and polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams are widely used for energy-efficient building insulation, with applications including building panels, roof and wall insulation, and closed-cell spray foam. As global regulatory frameworks continue to evolve, manufacturers of insulation materials urgently need flame retardant technologies that can meet future compliance requirements while maintaining product performance specifications. In this context, the PU/PIR industry has introduced a highly competitive new solution capable of replacing traditional additive flame retardants such as tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP).

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