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  • Europe`s Reliable CDMO Partner with a Broad Technology Portfolio

    Europe`s Reliable CDMO Partner with a Broad Technology Portfolio

    For many companies, relocating pharmaceutical production capacities back to Europe is becoming a key strategic success factor. Saltigo, LANXESS`s exclusive synthesis subsidiary, helps pharmaceutical manufacturers strengthen their supply chains, meet regulatory requirements, and achieve sustainability goals in production. At CPHI Frankfurt 2025 (October 28-30 at the Messe Frankfurt), Saltigo will present solutions that will enable pharmaceutical companies to strengthen their supply chains through targeted reshoring, minimize regulatory risks, and produce more sustainably.

    Industry in transition: Return to Regional Value Chains

    The European pharmaceutical industry is facing growing dependencies on Asia. China and India dominate the market for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API`s) and many of their precursors. This market concentration poses significant supply risks, particularly in the event of geopolitical tensions, export restrictions, or disruptions to global supply chains. To increase supply and production security, the European Union has launched several initiatives in recent years. These include the Critical Medicines Alliance, established in 2024, and the Strategic Report on Medicines Supply, released in February 2025. These initiatives aim to bolster the European production of critical medicines and their precursors, securing Europe`s long-term strategic independence in the pharmaceutical sector.

    New platforms, such as the European Shortage Monitoring Platform (ESMP), and guidelines for preventing bottlenecks enable the EU to establish more resilient supply chain structures. For the industry, diversifying manufacturing locations is becoming a strategic priority, especially for regulatory starting materials (RSM`s) and complex intermediates, which often cause bottlenecks in the value chain.

    Saltigo as a pioneer for resilient supply chains

    Saltigo positions itself as a reliable partner for customized chemical syntheses and scalable production solutions in Europe. With sites in Leverkusen and Dormagen, Saltigo offers manufacturing in multipurpose facilities that combine the highest regulatory standards, short delivery routes, strict IP protection, and flexible capacities. Global raw material sourcing within the Group complements this setup of Western supply chains, ensuring more stable processes, lower costs, and shorter time-to-market.

    Speed and scalability are decisive advantages. Saltigo can assess new projects technically within a few days and provide initial price estimates. This alleviates short-term bottlenecks in API production.

    Saltigo`s technological spectrum includes advanced processes such as olefin metathesis, high-pressure hydrogenation, fluorine and phosgene chemistry, and continuous processes (flow chemistry). Close integration of process development, piloting, and commercial manufacturing enables efficient project transfer from laboratory to large-scale production.

    Sustainability as a distinguishing feature

    In addition to technological expertise, Saltigo is committed to transparency in its product carbon footprint (PCF). PCF data is available for many products, and the company develops net-zero routes for CO₂-neutral production upon request. In this way, Saltigo contributes to the climate goals of the pharmaceutical industry and strengthens the competitiveness of European supply chains.

    Meeting place CPHI Frankfurt

    At CPHI 2025, Saltigo invites employees of pharmaceutical companies and CDMO to learn about the latest technologies and services and discuss individual projects. “We support our pharmaceutical industry partners when their plants reach capacity limits or when they want to focus on high-value API synthesis,” emphasizes Christoph Schaffrath, Saltigo`s Head of Marketing and Sales.

    Interested visitors can find Saltigo at CPHI Frankfurt 2025 in Hall 4.1, Booth K27. Appointments with experts can be arranged in advance or during the trade fair.

    Further information about the trade fair can be found at https://lanxess.com/en/company/corporate-structure/subsidiaries/saltigo/cphi.

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  • Full sets now available on YouTube and the Tomorrowland App

    Full sets now available on YouTube and the Tomorrowland App

    More than 180,000 People of Tomorrow from over 100 countries gathered in Itu, São Paulo, to celebrate LIFE during Tomorrowland Brasil 2025.

    The fifth Brazilian edition of Tomorrowland brought three unforgettable days of music, unity, and…

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  • Patch Tuesday: Windows 10 end of life pain for IT departments

    Patch Tuesday: Windows 10 end of life pain for IT departments

    The day Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 10 has coincided with a Patch Tuesday update, with several zero-day flaws that attackers could exploit to target the older Windows operating system.

    Among these is CVE-2025-24990, which…

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  • Baker McKenzie advises Return on the acquisition of four battery storage sites in Eastern Germany | Newsroom

    Baker McKenzie advises Return on the acquisition of four battery storage sites in Eastern Germany | Newsroom

    The international law firm Baker McKenzie has advised Return on entering a partnership with BESSMART Energies GmbH. As part of the collaboration, Return is acquiring four battery storage sites in Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. The facilities are located at strategically important 110-kV grid nodes and have a total capacity of 310 megawatts (MW) and 670 megawatt-hours (MWh). Commissioning is planned from 2027.

    “With this transaction, we were able to successfully support our client legally thanks to our extensive expertise and many years of experience in advising battery storage projects. The transaction highlights the strong interest in high-capacity energy storage in Germany,” comments Holger Engelkamp, lead partner at Baker McKenzie.

    Claire Dietz-Polte, also lead partner, adds: “Our team has been advising investors and developers in the battery storage sector since 2020. The flexibility provided by storage is essential for the expansion of renewable energy in Germany. The scale of projects continues to grow – this transaction also includes large-scale batteries.”

    “Battery storage at this scale is essential for Europe’s energy transition,” said Willem-Jan Schutte, CEO of Return. “With these strategically located sites, we are strengthening grid stability and accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels. We appreciate Baker McKenzie’s support in helping us move this transaction forward.”

    Return is a leading independent European energy storage provider, with full ownership and control of advanced BESS systems that delivers intelligent renewable integration and strengthens the grid. The new sites are part of the company’s pan-European growth strategy. With an active development portfolio of over 8 gigawatts (GW) and plans to deliver around 5 GW of capacity by 2030, Return continues to strengthen grid stability and reduce dependence on fossil fuels across key European markets.

    BESSMART Energies GmbH, based in Berlin, is an independent developer of battery storage systems with extensive experience in infrastructure and renewable energy sectors.

    Baker McKenzie’s Energy and Infrastructure practice regularly advises utilities, infrastructure funds, industrial companies, developers and banks on battery storage investments and project development. Baker McKenzie advices throughout the project life cycle, including land securing, planning and permitting, EPC,O&M and marketing agreements, as well as financing.

    Legal adviser to Return:
    Baker McKenzie

    Lead:
    Projects/Energy & Infrastructure: Dr. Claire Dietz-Polte (Partner, Berlin)
    Corporate/Energy & Infrastructure: Holger Engelkamp (Partner, Berlin)

    Team:
    Projects/Energy & Infrastructure: Dr. Janet Butler (Counsel), Dr. Maximilian Voll (Counsel), Nico Ruepp (Associate, all Berlin)
    Corporate/Energy & Infrastructure: Ben Boi Beetz (Senior Associate, Berlin)

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  • After a career-best INDYCAR season, Pato is ready to step back into McLaren’s F1 fold

    After a career-best INDYCAR season, Pato is ready to step back into McLaren’s F1 fold

    A hero’s welcome

    After two FP1 appearances at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Pato was unleashed around his home circuit in Mexico City last year. Watched by a jubilant, packed-out home crowd, driving the MCL38 around the Autódromo Hermanos…

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  • Brian Cox Explains What He Finds “Remarkable” About Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS’s Story

    Brian Cox Explains What He Finds “Remarkable” About Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS’s Story

    English physicist and science communicator Brian Cox has given some of his thoughts on comet 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar visitor currently hurtling its way through the Solar System.

    On July 1, 2025, astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact…

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  • In Europe, Apple’s new MacBook Pro comes without a charger

    In Europe, Apple’s new MacBook Pro comes without a charger

    If you’re buying Apple’s new M5 MacBook Pro in Europe, you won’t get a charger in the box.

    This is hardly surprising, given that Apple started shipping iPhones and other devices without a charging…

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  • Industrial battery at Swindon council waste centre never used

    Industrial battery at Swindon council waste centre never used

    Aled ThomasLocal Democracy Reporting Service

    SBC Aerial shot of Swindon's Waterside Park with various buildings, yellow lorries and a chimney with smoke emitting. SBC

    The battery at Swindon’s Waterside Park was due to store excess energy

    An industrial-sized rechargeable battery installed at a council waste and recycling facility three years ago to help power the site has never been switched on.

    Councillor Chris Watts, of Labour-run Swindon Borough Council, blamed the previous Conservative administration for the stalled project at Waterside Park waste and recycling plant.

    He said the battery was never connected to the National Grid as planned due to “financial pressures” but there were now plans to do so.

    Swindon Conservative group leader Gary Sumner said: “Our understanding is that the 2.5-MW solar farm and the 850-KW battery at Waterside were correctly installed and signed-off by senior council officers as fully operational.”

    Local Democracy Reporting Service Chris Watts in a high vis jacket with his hands clasped and looking at the camera. Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Chris Watts claimed the council’s previous Conservative administration was to blame

    The battery was due to be hooked up and connected to the Barnfield Park solar farm in 2022 so it could store the facility’s excess energy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

    Watts said: “I do not have full visibility into why the project was never commissioned, as the officers and councillors originally involved are no longer with the council.

    “However, it is likely that when the battery system failed during the commissioning stage, the limited resources and financial pressures in the summer of 2022 led to the project being mothballed.”

    A report to the council’s Build a Greener Swindon Policy and Scrutiny Committee revealed the battery was never connected, a discovery made in 2024.

    Meanwhile, Sumner continued: “We have asked council officers questions and have yet to receive any responses.

    “We sincerely hope councillors have not been misled, and if we have then someone needs to be held accountable.”

    Work is under way by the council to see if the battery can be used following a visit by a specialist contractor.

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  • Israeli scientists prove black hole discovery

    Israeli scientists prove black hole discovery | The Jerusalem Post

    The data suggest that the black hole launched powerful outflows months after the star’s destruction, showing that black holes can “reawaken”…

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  • Amazon’s Alexa Plus Takes A Voice-First Design With AI

    Amazon’s Alexa Plus Takes A Voice-First Design With AI

    Analyst(s): Olivier Blanchard
    Publication Date: October 15, 2025

    Amazon’s Alexa+ takes a distinct approach to AI assistance, emphasizing natural, conversational interactions across voice-driven home devices rather than productivity or…

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