YPC BASF shuts China EVA unit on feedstock supply issues

14 January 2009 11:16  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--China’s YPC BASF shut its ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) production lines in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, for two weeks this month due to feedstock supply issues, a company official said on Wednesday. 

“The plant was shut on Sunday due to feedstock supply problems and will remain shut for two weeks,” the company official said in Mandarin.

The producer operates a 200,000 tonne/year EVA/low density polyethylene (LDPE) swing plant at the Nanjing site, producing EVA with VA content of up to 18%.

The outage was unlikely to boost domestic EVA prices due to adequate stocks, he added.

Chinese domestic prices of EVA with 18% VA content have been flat at yuan (CNY) 11,400-11,600/tonne ($1,667-1,696/tonne) delivered (DEL) since late December.

“Even though raw material vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) prices are rising and some end-users are stocking up, any EVA price increase will be limited because we still have stocks,” he said, adding that the traditional manufacturing peak in the downstream footwear sector from January to May will be a far cry compared with the performance in previous years due to the global economic downturn.

The plant was earlier shut for two months in October and November last year due to poor market conditions and was recently restarted in early December.

($1 = CNY 6.84)

For more on ethylene vinyl acetate visit ICIS chemical intelligence
To discuss issues facing the chemical industry go to ICIS connect
Please visit the complete ICIS plants and projects database

By: Helen Lee
+65 6780 4359

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly