Invista to temporarily close plant in Canada

22 April 2009 19:34  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US producer Invista is planning a prolonged plant shutdown and restructuring at its site in Maitland, Ontario, involving the loss of 240 jobs, as the company continues to reduce its exposure to weak demand, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The decision closely follows news that Invista permanently shut down polyethylene terephthalate (PET) capacity near Millhaven, Ontario, and marks the sixth major change in Invista’s global assets since the start of 2008.

Maitland site manager Joe Hendriks said a weak economy stunted demand for adipic acid, dibasic esters (DBE) and hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) and prompted the decision to shut down and restructure.

“The downstream markets we serve – such as the housing, automotive and textile industries – have ranked among the hardest hit by the economic downturn and have significantly curbed production,” Hendriks said.

The Maitland site will retain about 160 employees at the conclusion of restructuring, down from approximately 400 currently based at the site.

Plans are in place to remove process materials from the adipic acid and HMDA refining units, but Invista has no immediate plans for the demolition or removal of any equipment.

In addition to facilities in Millhaven and Maitland, Invista previously announced long-term or permanent operation halts of PET at Offenbach, Germany, and nylon intermediates at Wilton, UK, during 2009.

In 2008, Invista announced a production halt on nylon assets at Waynesboro, North Carolina, and the termination of operating agreements on third-party owned PET capacity at Greer, South Carolina.

($1 = €0.77)

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By: Landon Feller
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