BASF to cut Texas acrylic monomer output, 60 jobs

16 October 2003 00:02  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (CNI)--BASF announced plans Wednesday to reduce production of crude acrylic acid and idle its butyl acrylate plant at Freeport, Texas while cutting 60 positions there due to economic conditions.

A spokesman for the company's US headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina told CNI he isn't sure if the job cuts will be permanent and said only half of the job cuts are directly related to the idled capacity scheduled to occur 1 January.

More specifically, BASF said it will reduce its crude acrylic acid production by 70 000 tonnes, lowering it to a level of 160 000 tonne/year at Freeport and 780 000 tonne/year worldwide.

But BASF's spokesman declined to specify the capacity of the butyl acrylate plant to be idled there.

In a statement, BASF said it is responding to market conditions and emphasised that customers will be unaffected by the changes.

Joe Breunig, who heads the functional polymers business for BASF in North America, said: "Idling capacities at this time will allow us to reduce costs and improve operational efficiencies in our global operations. At the same time we retain the flexibility for when market conditions improve."

He stressed the company's long-term commitment to the monomers markets.

By: Gary Taylor
+1 713 525 2653

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