BASF to close 36 300 tonne/year acetal plant in Alabama

15 February 2002 17:27  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (CNI)--BASF said Friday it shut its 36 300 tonne/year Theodore, Alabama Ultraform acetal plant operated by the US unit of Degussa in the second half of the year, a move affecting 104 employees with the precise number of layoffs yet to be determined.

BASF said it has secured a long-term, domestic supply of Ultraform acetal for its customers in North and South America through a toll manufacturing agreement beginning in 2003.

The company said it is working to minimise the impact the closing will have on the five BASF workers. Degussa employs the other 99.

Charley Story, vice president/government and public relations at Parsippany, New Jersey-based Degussa, told CNI the exact number of layoffs could not now be determined.

Said Story: "The plant has operated for 28 years, so many workers are nearing retirement age. We hope to place other employees at other Degussa sites, so we can't say for sure how many layoffs there will be."

Roberto Gualdoni, regional business unit leader, performance polymers-Europe said Ultraform acetal is a vital product in the company's comprehensive engineering plastics portfolio.

He added: "BASF will continue to manufacture this product at our operations in Ludwigshafen, Germany and invest in Ultraform process and product technology to grow our acetal business globally."

Ultraform is an acetal copolymer resin that can be injection moulded or extruded to produce a host of applications.

BASF’s global headquarters is in Ludwigshafen.

By: Mike Sheridan
+1 713 525 2653

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