DAK Americas closing PTA, PET plant in North Carolina

HOUSTON (ICIS)–DAK Americas plans to close its operations near Wilmington, North Carolina, where it produces purified terephthalate acid (PTA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins and polyester stable fibres, the company announced on Wednesday.

DAK expects the closure of its Cape Fear Site to be completed by September, the company said in a news release.

The plant has a total nameplate capacity of 550,000 tonnes/year of PTA for its two units, according to ICIS plants and projects.

About 350 full-service employees and 250 contract workers will be affected, it said.

 “We acknowledge that this business decision is very difficult for our employees and thank them for their dedication and commitment to our industry for more than 40 years,” said Jorge Young, DAK Americas’s president. “Closure of the site will allow us to further improve our low-cost position by supplying the vast majority of the Cape Fear Site customers from our other North American facilities.” 

DAK will continue to produce PTA, PET resins and polyester at six other facilities in the Americas, the company said.

The Cape Fear Site was built in the late 1960s and acquired by DAK from DuPont in 2001.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, DAK Americas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mexico-based Alpek and is one of the largest global producers of PET resins.