Japan’s Mitsui to shut IPA plant in September on weak demand

03 September 2009 08:57  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Mitsui Chemicals, the smallest of Japan’s three isopropanol (IPA) producers, plans to shut its 33,000 tonne/year plant in Osaka for the fourth time this year due to weak domestic demand, a company official said on Thursday.

"We will shut our IPA plant on 25 September for two weeks," the official said.

"Solvent demand depends on the automobile industry, which is still operating at reduced rates of 70%," the official added.

The official estimated that IPA demand in Japan had dropped 30% in 2009 compared with the previous year.

Mitsui has taken the plant off line for about two weeks each month since July due to poor market conditions.

The facility was also shut for scheduled maintenance in April this year.

Nippon Oil and Tokuyama are the other two IPA producers in Japan.

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By: Peh Soo Hwee
+65 6780 4359

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