DATE : 2015-11-02
Sumitomo Chemical, during a discussion of its business strategy for the petrochemicals and plastics sector, disclosed it is considering restructuring options for its Ehime Works in Japan, as well as uses for the former site of its Chiba, Japan, ethylene plant. The director and senior managing executive officer of Sumitomo said as business becomes more global, it is important to maintain its domestic operations, and stressed that the "core" businesses of Polyethylene, Polypropylene and Propylene oxide "will remain in Japan." He noted that the company produces a wide variety of products at Ehime. Among them, the performance of the Caprolactam business is "especially weak," and a 95,000 tonnes/y liquid-phase caprolactam plant, influenced by market prices of Ammonium sulfate, was closed in Sep 2015. Unlike the Chiba complex, where restructuring has been completed, restructuring of the Ehime complex is not over yet.
At Chiba, the company closed a 425,000 tonnes/y Styrene plant and 181,000 tonnes/y Propylene oxide unit in conjunction with the mothballing of its 415,000 tonnes/y naphtha cracker in May 2015. The site of the former Chiba cracker is very conveniently located and well equipped with utilities, so it could be used for a plant in the process industry.
SOURCE Petrochemical News