Superabsorbents site shuts

BASF has decided not to rebuild its production site in Birkenhead in the UK following a fire on May 16th that destroyed large parts of the superabsorbents plant. Production had to be completely suspended as a result of the fire.

In the future, BASF will supply its European customers from sites in Antwerp, Belgium and Mannheim, Germany.

'Our new plant in Antwerp will start operating at the end of 2001 with an annual capacity in excess of 100,000 metric tons. Together with the production plant in Mannheim, we can guarantee supplies to our European customers,' said Dr. Andreas Kreimeyer, President of BASF's Dispersions Division. 'We base our production capacities on market demand and we will increase the capacities of our plants in Antwerp or Mannheim depending on growth in demand.'

Originally, the plant in Mannheim was scheduled to be decommissioned following the completion of the new Antwerp plant at the end of 2001.

The Birkenhead site was acquired last year as part of BASF's purchase of Chemdal. 'The decision to close the plant was not taken easily,' explained Dr. Kreimeyer. 'Our colleagues in Birkenhead have worked hard over the last few years and with great commitment to build up a good site for superabsorbents. However, in the current situation it was necessary to look at every possible alternative to provide our customers with competitive, high-quality products.'

One important deciding factor behind the decision was that BASF manufactures acrylic acid at its continental European sites in Ludwigshafen and Antwerp, but not at the Birkenhead site. Acrylic acid is the most important raw material in the production of superabsorbents.