BASF cuts Ludwigshafen EPS output, shuts Antwerp XPS unit

22 November 2001 11:03  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--BASF said Thursday it is cutting output from its Styropor expandable polystyrene (EPS) plant in Ludwigshafen by 25% because of weak demand.

The German group also confirmed it will close permanently its Styrodur extruded rigid polystyrene foam (XPS) plant in Antwerp in the first half of next year.

It said the Ludwigshafen EPS cutback takes effect immediately and is expected to last until the end of January. BASF's Tarragona EPS plant in Spain will operate normally. A BASF spokeswoman said the two plants have a combined capacity of approximately 250 000 tonne/year.

She explained that the seasonal decline in the construction sector in autumn and winter (Q4) has coincided with the economic downturn, resulting in a sharp drop in demand for EPS and XPS. Seasonal demand for the products should pick up in January, she added.

Earlier this month BASF said it had temporarily reduced its European output of polystyrene (PS) by 25% to approximately 450 000 tonne/year through cutbacks in Ludwigshafen and Antwerp. The Tarragona PS plant has not been affected by the cuts, the spokeswoman confirmed.

The group revealed earlier this month that it is to shut temporarily some 60 plants in Ludwigshafen plus others in Europe and the US, including Antwerp, due to weak demand. It did not identify which plants would be affected.

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Author: Anna Jagger
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