MOSCOW (MRC) -- Olin Corporation has announced it has entered into an agreement with ASHTA Chemicals, Inc. to purchase and sell the chlorine produced at ASHTA's Ashtabula, OH facility, according to Stockhouse.
Existing contracts will be honored for chlorine customers of both companies.
"This agreement provides the opportunity to optimize logistics across the Olin and ASHTA portfolio, reducing the number of miles chlorine travels to get to customers and overall transportation costs while increasing the security and flexibility of supply within the growing Olin network. Olin has unmatched expertise in the safe and efficient delivery of chlorine," said Damian Gumpel, Vice President and President, Chlor Alkali Products & Vinyls.
"We are excited to work with Olin as this agreement allows each company to focus on its strengths, which for ASHTA is the production of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for our growing customer base," said Brad Westfall, President and CEO of ASHTA.
As MRC reported before, earlier this year, Olin announced plans to shut a portion of its diaphragm-grade chlor-alkali capacity in the USA. Thus, the company had permanently shut down about 200,000 metric tons/year of diaphragm-grade chlor-alkali capacity at its McIntosh, Alabama, facility by 31 March. Olin will take a USD5 million of restructuring charge for the move, which the company expects to be cash flow accretive.
We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in March 2021 by 5.4% year on year. Thus, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 6.7% in the first moths months of 2021, according to Rosstat's data. March production of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) in Russia was 118,000 tonnes (100% of the basic substance) versus 98,400 tonnes a month earlier. Overall output of caustic soda totalled 329,400 tonnes in the first three months of 2021, down by 0.7% year on year.
ASHTA Chemicals, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of potassium hydroxide (KOH) with headquarters and production facilities in Ashtabula, Ohio.
Olin Corporation is a leading vertically-integrated global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading US manufacturer of ammunition. The chemical products produced include chlorine and caustic soda, vinyls, epoxies, chlorinated organics, bleach, and hydrochloric acid. Winchester's principal manufacturing facilities produce and distribute sporting ammunition, law enforcement ammunition, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges.
MRC