Styron sold out, intends to be more aggressive

By David Shaw, ERJ staff

Horgen, Switzerland -- Marco Levi, Vice-president for Emulsion Polymers (which includes S-SBR, BR, E-SBR and latices) at the new Styron unit, said the company is currently sold out, but intends to follow a more aggressive path under new owners Bain Capital, than its previous shareholder, Dow Chemical.

He said the company is now the leader in supplying solution-polymerised SBR to the European market, following the addition of a new line at its Schkopau, Germany facility last year. The first line, built in 2002, was not filled until 2009, but the second line, added in 2009 is already full, he said.

Levi could not give any clear guidance on when a third line might be added to the Shkopau facility, as the new shareholders only took over last week, but he expects to hold a meeting with the Bain board in next week.

Levi said a new line at Schkopau can be added quite quickly, as the space and facilties are available at the site already. Further expansions into Asia would take longer as the site selection process has not yet begun. He said Asia is the next strategic target for Styron's rubber activity, but could not yet say whether Asian demand would continue to be supplied from Germany or from a new site in Asia. Currently around 30 percent of the Schkopau output is shipped to Asia-Pacific region, he said.

He said Styron sees good opportunities in the rubber sector and in the short term expects to supply global demand for high performance polymers from its base in Germany.

Levi was speaking exclusively to ERJ from the company's headquarters in Horgen, Switzerland.