Mitsubishi Chemical's UK MMA project may be discontinued

On November 24, Mitsubishi Chemical announced that the methyl methacrylate (MMA) project at the Kassel plant of the company's British subsidiary will be discontinued
.
At present, the production of MMA-related products at the plant has been discontinued due to regular maintenance, and the final decision will be made
in January 2023.
Mitsubishi Chemical said that all methacrylate-related production operations at the Kassel plant may be closed
.

At present, the plant's MMA resin production capacity is 200,000 tons/year
.
Since January 2022, the plant has suspended production due to maintenance, followed by the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, high natural gas prices, high inflation rates, etc.
, which led to a slowdown in the European economy and sluggish demand for MMA monomers, resulting in the plant continuing to shut down
.
Mitsubishi Chemical said that the group had conducted a comprehensive review of the MMA business and decided to shut down MMA-related production at its UK base because it could not maintain economic sustainability
.
However, the company also said that even if the UK factory is closed, it will be able to provide stable supply
to European customers from other locations.

Currently, Mitsubishi Chemical is integrating its global MMA business
.
In 2021, Mitsubishi Chemical announced the establishment of Mitsubishi MMA Corporation, mainly in Singapore, to coordinate its MMA business
scattered around the world.