Trinseo to close PBR rubber plant in Germany

Berwyn, Pennsylvania – Trinseo SA is closing down its polybutadiene rubber (nickel and neodymium-PBR) unit in Schkopau, Germany, by the end of the year, according to company president and CEO Frank Bozich.

Trinseo Deutschland initiated a consultation process with employee representatives to review the future of its styrene monomer plant in Boehlen and the PBR unit in Schkopau, in March.

Speaking during the 31 July second quarter conference call, Bozich said Trinseo had decided "to move forward with the closure of the assets in Schkopau" after a thorough analysis.

According to Trinseo, the combined adjusted EBITDA of the two operations came in at negative €16.4 million in the year 2019. 

The polybutadiene rubber line in Schkopau has a capacity of approximately 30 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa).

The unit was Trinseo’s nickel butadiene rubber production train, which was converted in late 2017 to manufacture Nd-BR.

Trinseo said in March that it would remain committed to its other operations at the Schkopau site, including polystyrene, solution-styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) and emulsion-styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR).

The company is still evaluating the disposition the Boehlen site in eastern Germany, which has the capacity to produce 300 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of styrene monomer. 

The plant's average production over the past three years has been at the 200ktpa mark, due to several factors, including upstream supply issues. 

In 2019, production at the unit was 150ktpa, reflecting the unplanned outages, said the Trinseo statement.