(chemweek) -- Styrolution has announced a program to streamline its operations in Europe and add capacity in emerging markets. Roberto Gualdoni, Styrolution CEO said that the company will terminate its agreement with Ineos to offtake styrene and polystyrene (PS) from Ineos's Marl, Germany site. This will lead to the closure of the complex after the agreement runs out at the end of this year. The complex is designed to produce 350,000 m.t./year of styrene and 180,000 m.t./year of PS.
Styrolution, meanwhile, will upgrade its styrene copolymers capacity at Ludwigshafen. ⌠We will have an independent state-of-the-art logistics center within our complex at Ludwigshafen, Gualdoni says. That will result in separating, and making independent, the production and logistics processes. The plants, producing Styrolution's Luran styrene acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN), Luran S acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) copolymers, Terluran acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and Terlux methyl methacrylate ABS copolymers, will be expanded in the process. The company does not disclose its copolymers capacity but says that capacity will increase overall by 20%-30%.
Separately, Styrolution is in the process of selling its Tarragona, Spain acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plant under a previously announced plan. The facility, operating under the name Elix Polymers, will be acquired in the next few weeks by private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, Gualdoni says.
The program involves two separate capacity expansions in Asia. Styrolution is building a 40,000-m.t./year ASA plant at Ulsan, Korea that is due to start up at the beginning of July this year. The facility will complement similar plants in Europe and North America. ⌠We are trying to focus on emerging markets and out of Korea we are supplying practically all of Asia, mainly focusing on China and on specialty areas of our portfolio, Gualdoni says. ASA copolymers are used in the automotive and construction industries.
Styrolution, meanwhile, is increasing capacity at its ABS specialties plant at Vadodara, India. Capacity will rise from 80,000 m.t./year, to 110,000 m.t./year by 2014. The project will be achieved through debottlenecking, which involves the installation of a styrene acrylonitrile resins facility and expansion of compounding capacity.
MRC