Solutia pulls plug on Flexsys operation in Wales

Ruabon, UK - Solutia Inc. is to shut down its Flexsys production operation at Ruabon, near Wrexham, Wales and withdraw from supplying the market for the three rubber chemical products - Santogard PVI pre-vulcanization inhibitors; Perkacit DPG, a vulcanisation accelerator; and Flectol antioxidants - currently produced at the Welsh facility. The US group said it also plans to completely exit the site, which also hosts guest manufacturers including DuPont, by the end of 2011.

The closure move comes despite significant progress by the Ruabon management team, led by operations manager Roger Mason, to establish lean manufacturing and maintenance practices at the 160-employee Ruabon unit over recent years (see link below).

"This action is part of our strategy to strengthen the profitable ... positions that Flexsys holds across most of its portfolio, while taking steps to limit our exposure in smaller product lines where Flexsys is no longer cost competitive," according to Jim Voss, president of Flexsys and senior vice president of Solutia.

"Our Ruabon site makes three product lines for which the market is over-supplied due to emerging competition from Far Eastern producers," said Voss. Despite the significant steps our Ruabon management and employees have taken to improve the position of the site, it is unfortunately no longer cost competitive on a global scale."