MOSCOW (MRC) -- In order to further strengthen its polystyrene (PS) business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Styrolution, the global leader in the styrenics industry, intends to close its 80,000 tonne PS production site located in Trelleborg, Sweden, reported the company on its site.
The closure of the facility is scheduled to occur by the end of 2014 and will affect all 51 employees working at the site.
Styrolution will continue to serve customers from its polystyrene sites located in Antwerp, Belgium and Wingles, France with the same quality, reliability and service standards they have come to expect from the company.
The planned closure is aimed at bolstering the long-term economic sustainability of Styrolution's PS business in EMEA by further enhancing cost structures and maximizing utilization of its production assets in Antwerp and Wingles.
Polystyrene is and will remain a strong pillar in Styrolution's portfolio, providing a robust commercial foundation for the implementation of its Triple Shift growth strategy, which calls for a focus on styrenic specialties and ABS Standard, as well as emerging markets and higher-growth industries.
Kevin McQuade, President EMEA, Styrolution: "The polystyrene market in Europe has been characterized by decreasing demand, overcapacity and underutilization. These market dynamics have also affected Styrolution's polystyrene business in the region, making it necessary for the company to take this difficult step announced today. We acknowledge the impact this decision will have on our colleagues in Trelleborg who have made an outstanding contribution to the company. Styrolution remains fully committed to its polystyrene business and we are confident this measure will further strengthen our leading position in this important product segment in the region."
As MRC wrote previously, in May 2014, Styrolution inaugurated a new line for the high performance styrenic specialty product Absolan at its Katol site located in Gujarat, India. The new 40,000 mt line intends to meet the growing demand for Absolan across key growth industries in India, such as household, electronics, automotive.
The Styrolution Group GmbH is a global provider of styrenics , headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. The company is a joint venture between BASF (50%) and INEOS (50%), were merged into the main styrene operations of the two partners. Its main focus is on the production of monomer, polystyrene, styrenic specialties, and ABS. The company offers styrene plastics for a variety of everyday products from different industries, such as automotive, electronics, construction, household, leisure, packaging, medicine and health.
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