RELEASED ON 19/04/13 (DD/MM/YY)

Japan’s Mitsubishi Rayon Co (MRC)’s methyl methacrylate (MMA) units in Otake were shut by lightning that struck on 13 April, and are expected to resume operations by the end of the month at the earliest. The company’s two 55,000 tonne/year butane-based lines and its 107,000 tonne/year acetone cyanohydrin-based MMA line at the site halted operations, the source said.

The shutdown is expected to result in an MMA production loss of more than 10,000 tonnes, the source said.

MRC’s other units, including those that produce acrylic sheets and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA) units in Otake were also affected, the source said. “We are trying to restart as early as possible. The units will be starting one by one, starting [with] the butane based MMA line,” he said.

Resuming operations, however, could be delayed to mid-May if repairs do not progress smoothly, the source said, adding that the company’s domestic and overseas customers have been duly informed about the situation.

MRC is now looking into MMA swaps or imports from its subsidiaries from Korea or Thailand to prevent a disruption of supply to customers, the source said.

SOURCE Icis News