BASF to focus on core assets of polyamide value chain

18 Mar '08

3 min read

BASF SE and INEOS Nitriles announced that they have reached an agreement for INEOS Nitriles to buy the Seal Sands site of BASF plc on Teesside in the United Kingdom. The acquisition is conditional on approval by the relevant competition authorities. The parties agreed not to disclose the acquisition price.

The BASF Group company BASF plc has approximately 240 employees at the site; a further 250 people are employed by contractors. All BASF plc personnel will be transferred to INEOS Nitriles, who will also take over existing contracts, supply and service arrangements.

The Seal Sands site operates large-scale production facilities for acrylonitrile (AN), adipodinitrile (ADN) and hexamethylenediamine (HMD), as well as for by-products. These chemical intermediates are used in the production of acrylic and polyamide (PA) fibers for clothing and carpets, as well as for acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and PA plastics for the automotive, electric & electronics and domestic appliance industries.

HMD remains a key element in BASF's PA 6.6 value chain. For this reason, the HMD plant is excluded from the transaction. INEOS Nitriles will operate the HMD plant for BASF. The same applies for the ADN plant. ADN will be produced at Seal Sands until the plant is shut down at the end of 2008 as announced by BASF in June 2007. ADN is a starting material for HMD.

“We have an external supply agreement for ADN from 2009 onward. The sale of the Seal Sands site is part of our approach to focus on the core assets of our polyamide value chain,” said Dr. Harald Lauke, President of BASF Performance Polymers division.

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