SULLY, England—Zeon Chemicals Europe Ltd. said it is postponing the planned closure of its site in Sully to March 2016. It was previously set to close at the end of 2015.
In April, Zeon announced the closure, citing “changing market conditions” and “uncertainty in the long-term availability and supply of primary raw materials to the UK site.”
Hubert Thimm, commercial director of Zeon Europe GmbH, said the planned closure was set for end of 2015 subject to the outcome of consultation talks with employees.
A Zeon news release said that following talks with employees, it was decided that ZCEL's production of synthetic rubber would cease and the factory closed by the end of March.
The Welsh plant is the Japanese group's only European manufacturing site. Zeon bought the plant, built in the 1950s, from BP Chemicals in 1989.
The plant employs 80 and its nameplate production includes about 15,000 ton per year of nitrile rubber, mainly exported to Europe.
According to Thimm, the capacity will be taken up by Zeon's North American and Japanese operations.