Invista Closing Texas Adipic Acid Unit

Citing a decline in demand in North America and an oversupplied global market, US nylon specialist Invista has announced plans to close its 220,000 t/y adipic acid plant at Orange, Texas.Production of the nylon starting materials adiponitrile and hexamethylene diamine will continue at the site, which currently employs more than 600 people and is considered one of Invista’s key nylon manufacturing assets.

The company simultaneously unveiled a restructuring scheme that foresees cuts of around 3% of the workforce, or 75 positions, at Orange.

“Invista is restructuring its Orange, Texas, site so it can more rapidly respond to the ever-changing global marketplace that it serves,” a company spokesperson told local media. 

The company will continue to operate its remaining adipic plant at Victoria, Texas, which is believed to have nameplate capacity of more than 360,000 t/y. A production facility at Singapore was closed in 2012.

Invista is owned by Wichita, Kansas-based Koch Industries, which bought the business from DuPont in 2004.