13.03.2014 • News

Bayer to Keep Brunsbüttel TDI Unit Running for Now

Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) now says it will continue to operate its 125,000 t/y TDI plant at Brunsbüttel, Germany, for an undisclosed time period to meet strong demand from the bedding and automotive seating markets.

The facility in northern Germany was planned to close at the end of this year after the company's new €150 million gas-phase phosgenation-based plant with capacity for 300,000 t/y starts up at Dormagen, near its Leverkusen, Germany, headquarters.

Production facilities at Brunsbüttel are foreseen to be retrofitted to produce solely MDI.

Although pricing for TDI has been weak of late, volume development has been extraordinarily strong, BMS chief executive Patrick Thomas told journalists on the sidelines of the Bayer group's annual results press conference in late February.

Thomas said BMS' global TDI facilities have been operating at average capacity utilization rates of 85%, but the 300,000 t/y plant at Cajoing, China, is being run "flat out."

Special Issue

Explore the Future of Plastics

Circular Plastics Economy

This special CHEManager issue explores the industry’s pivotal shift towards a more sustainable, circular plastics value chain. Readers will find expert analysis and real-world solutions for today’s most pressing recycling and regulatory challenges.

Interview

Building Green Practices Across the Chemical Supply Chain

Driving Sustainability Through Collaboration

Together for Sustainability (TfS) is a pioneering, member-led initiative working to accelerate sustainable and resilient chemical supply chains. TfS President Jennifer Jewson discusses the origins of TfS, its evolving goals, its present-day challenges, and the initiative’s enduring impact and outlook for the future.