(Ineos) -- INEOS announced a new supply agreement with BP for one of the essential raw materials of the Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) plant located at their joint operations at Saltend, Hull (UK). The agreement secures the supply of acetic acid and services and participates in maintaining the competitiveness of the VAM plant worldwide. INEOS employs around 50 people across its activities at the site.
The Saltend Chemicals Park, is home to one of the largest and most efficient VAM production unit in the world. With a capacity of 300,000 tonnes a year and full integration into its raw materials, it is the only plant of its kind in Europe. INEOS acquired the plant from BP in 2008 and has significantly invested in the technology to further develop the capacity and performance.
The INEOS VAM plant at Saltend Chemicals Park uses ethylene which it gets by pipeline from its steam crackers located in Grangemouth (Scotland) and acetic acid from BP owned plants located on the site. VAM is supplied mainly into UK manufacturing firms and the European merchant market.
Vinyl acetate monomer is an intermediate chemical that is important for the production of paints, adhesives, floor covering, paper coatings and acrylic fibres used in clothing. It is also found in products that give laminated glass its important safety feature. Heavy-duty bags, extrusion coating, wire and cable insulation, adhesives and foam all rely on it as a key raw material.
INEOS Group Limited is a privately owned multinational chemicals company consisting of 15 standalone business units, headquartered in Rolle, Switzerland and with its registered office in Lyndhurst, United Kingdom. It is the fifth largest chemicals company in the world measured by revenues (after BASF, Dow Chemical, LyondellBasell and DuPont) and the largest privately owned company in the United Kingdom.