Andrew Warmington

The CHIPS Act has created the largest demand signal for speciality chemicals in a generation. Whether your company captures it is an operational question, not a chemistry one, says Stephen Ottley, managing director and head of chemicals and pharmaceuticals at Maine Pointe America’s semiconductor renaissance is underway. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, is making advanced chips in Arizona. Intel has broken the 2nm barrier on US soil.

Submitted by: Andrew Warmington Colonial Chemical Solutions (CCS), which provides chemical distribution, storage, handling and logistics services in the Southeastern US, has acquired Integrity Partners Group (IPG), a speciality chemical distribution platform. Terms were not disclosed. CCS said that it thereby gain an expanded geographic footprint, plus complementary assets, capabilities and expertise. ICG includes the legacy businesses of Chemisphere and Chemsolv.

Steve Ottley, managing director and head of chemicals and pharmaceutical at Maine Pointe, looks at some of the key challenges ahead this year As 2026 opens, the chemical industry faces a market shaped by overcapacity, demand volatility, evolving global regulations and structural cost pressures. The landscape is markedly different from the years of post-pandemic tailwinds when pricing power and strong demand masked operational inefficiencies.