Japan's Mitsui Chemicals Polyurethanes to cut TDI output

11 December 2008 16:02  [Source: ICIS news]

TOKYO (ICIS news)--Mitsui Chemicals Polyurethanes has decided to shut its 117,000 tonnes/year toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) plant at Kashima at least until March 2009 and run its TDI units at a combined operating rate of 25% due to worsening demand, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

This would be the lowest operating rate since the company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japanese chemical producer Mitsui Chemicals, was established in April 2001, he added.

The company aimed to shut the Kashima unit in Ibaraki prefecture by 20 December, “as soon as we are ready”, the spokesman said.

One other 120,000 tonne/year TDI unit in Omuta, Fukuoka prefecture, would continue to operate at a rate of 50%, he added.

The company has been running the plant at 50% capacity since October due to a decline in demand in China and elsewhere in Asia.

The producer aimed to restart the Kashima unit in March after an expected demand increase, the spokesman said.

“We expect demand will come back before that,” he added.

Mitsui Chemicals Polyurethanes was also considering shutting its TDI and methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate (MDI) units for an annual spring/summer maintenance one or two months earlier than scheduled depending on demand trends, the spokesman said.

Turnarounds of these plants were usually held for a month from mid-May to mid-June, he added.   

The 60,000 tonne/year methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate (MDI) unit at Omuta was currently off line due to sluggish demand in China and elsewhere in Asia, the spokesman said.

“We plan to restart it on 5 January, but the shutdown might be extended,” he added.  

For more on TDI visit ICIS chemical intelligence

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By: Tomomi Yokomura
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