Plants: Perstorp discontinues polyol production at Ohio facility; Tokuyama opens polysilicon factory in Vietnam
Against the back of sluggish activity, Perstorp Polyols, the Swedish specialty chemical giant under Malaysia's Petronas, has confirmed the permanent discontinuation of operations at its production facility in Toledo, Ohio, US.
However, the firm says the discontinuation of production does not affect Perstorp's sales, customer service, planning or distribution operations in the US.
As the only domestic TMP and pentaerythritol production facility in the US, the shutdown of this plant marks a major adjustment of Perstorp's North American production layout, and also reflects the current industry situation of structural overcapacity and sluggish profitability in the global polyol industry.
The plant’s core businesses include polyols and supporting chemical products such as pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane (TMP) and sodium formate. Its downstream applications cover core chemical fields such as coatings and synthetic lubricants, and it is an important product supply base for Perstorp's North American market.
The company says the decision follows a thorough assessment of its manufacturing footprint and reflects the need to consolidate production within its network. Consolidating production to fewer and strategically positioned facilities supports a more efficient and effective manufacturing network, while maintaining reliable supply to customers in the US and other regions, it adds.
The decision impacts approximately 70 % of the US employees of Perstorp.
Meanwhile in other news, Japanese chemical producer Tokuyama recently inaugurated a polysilicon factory in Vietnam. Located within the Phu My 3 Special Industrial Park in Ho Chi Minh City, the facility will manufacture and distribute polysilicon for semiconductors.
“With the semiconductor market expected to expand further, we aim to ensure a stable supply of silicon wafer raw materials used in advanced semiconductors and strengthen the supply chain, and the facility will be an important overseas base responsible for the crushing and cleaning of polycrystalline silicon,” a statement on the company’s website said.
The company adds that the facility will proceed with trial operators and quality checks with safety as its top priority. Total capital invested into the project reached US$22.2 million.
Tokuyama says the 50,000 sq m factory is Vietnam’s first in the manufacture and distributor of polycrystalline silicon for semiconductors with an annual production capacity of 4,995 tonnes of polysilicon.
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