Evonik to Close Botlek Carbon Black Plant on 31 July
Evonik has announced that it will close its Botlek, Netherlands carbon black plant on 31 July 2010 as part of a production “realignment” programme. Plans are said to be in place for the site to continue as a supplier of energy to businesses located in the vicinity for the news few years. "While the Botlek facility has always excelled in quality and efficiency, the market has moved away from Northwest Europe. Botlek’s great performance is, unfortunately, not enough to overcome the logistical disadvantage", said Jack Clem, Evonik’s head of Carbon Black.
According to the company, the guiding principle behind the realignment of Evonik's European carbon black production capacities is “closer to the customer.” Their view is that, with the carbon black market in Western Europe is increasingly shifting towards Central Europe and that the main drivers of this change are the major tyre manufacturers and producers of mechanical rubber goods.