44 Chemical Giants Slim Down in 2025: Plant Closures, Divestitures, and Layoffs

【Answer 1】 In November, according to Reuters, Eastman will cut approximately 7% of its workforce. The company employs roughly 14,000 people globally; a 7% reduction would affect about 980 employees. Eastman stated that these layoffs will generate total inflation-adjusted cost savings of $175 million in 2025 and 2026, aimed at addressing declining profitability in its Fibers and Chemical Intermediates business. 18. Honeywell In May, Honeywell completed the all-cash sale of its Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) business to Protective Industrial Products, Inc. for $1.325 billion. 19. Clariant In November, reports indicated that Clariant plans to close its last remaining production site in Switzerland next year. The facility manufactures specialty chemicals for cosmetics, agriculture, and industrial applications. Clariant’s headquarters are located in Muttenz, Switzerland, and it operates 68 production facilities worldwide. In December, Clariant completed the sale of its Venezuelan legal entity (Clariant Venezuela S.A.) to Venezuelan firm CMV Química C.A. Clariant’s 2024 Venezuelan operations generated sales of approximately CHF 3 million and employed around 60 people. 20. Ascend Performance Materials In April, Ascend filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization; it completed the restructuring process in December. In June, Ascend decided to shut down its hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) production plant in Lianyungang, China (capacity: 200,000 tons/year), which had only commenced operations in October of the previous year. 21. Westlake Chemical In June, Westlake decided to permanently close its Bisphenol-A (150,000 tons/year) and liquid epoxy resin (100,000 tons/year) units at its Pernis plant in the Netherlands. It also confirmed it would not restart its allyl chloride and epichlorohydrin units at the same site—units that had been idled since July 2024—resulting in the loss of approximately 230 jobs. In December, Westlake announced the closure of three U.S. vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plants and one U.S. styrene plant: — A 450,000-ton/year suspension polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in Aberdeen, Mississippi; — A 413,000-ton/year VCM plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana; — A membrane-type chlor-alkali facility in Lake Charles (annual capacity: 375,000 tons chlorine and 413,000 tons caustic soda); — A 259,000-ton/year styrene plant in Lake Charles. Westlake stated it will continue supplying PVC, VCM, and chlor-alkali products from its other seven North American VCM plants, while exiting the styrene business entirely. These closures are expected to result in approximately 295 job losses. 22. Röhm GmbH In July, Röhm closed its Westwego, Louisiana facility—a move aligned with the commissioning of its new methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant in Bay City, Texas. The new plant utilizes Röhm’s proprietary LiMA technology and has an annual capacity of 250,000 tons. 23. ARLANXEO In October, ARLANXEO announced plans to cease operations at its Port-Jérôme plant in France. ARLANXEO, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, produces 100,000 tons/year of polybutadiene rubber (PBR) and 40,000 tons/year of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) at this site. It also operates a production base in La Wantzenau, France.

Fundamental Analysis of the Basic Chemicals – PVC Market

【Answer 2】 This article is an excerpt; for the full report, please follow the WeChat official account: Lü Yǐ Hóng Ní (Green Ant, Red Mud) I. PVC Product Overview: A Widely Used Synthetic Resin Material ◼ Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a non-toxic, odorless white powder with high chemical stability and excellent moldability. It finds broad application in construction materials, pipes, profiles, wires and cables, artificial leather, decorative materials, and films. PVC is synthesized via free-radical polymerization of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) under initiator catalysis. Its downstream applications are highly diversified: rigid products—including pipes, fittings, doors and windows, and packaging sheets—can be produced without plasticizers, whereas soft, flexible products—including films, sheets, wires and cables, flooring, synthetic leather, and coatings—are manufactured by adding plasticizers. ◼ In terms of product classification, PVC belongs to the category of synthetic resins—one of the three major synthetic materials (synthetic resins, synthetic fibers, and synthetic rubber). Among the five major general-purpose resins—polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and ABS resin—PVC ranks third globally and in China in terms of consumption volume. ◼ “Chlor-Alkali Balance”: PVC is one of China’s largest organic chlorine products, consuming approximately 46% of the nation’s total chlorine output. As such, it plays a pivotal role in maintaining chlor-alkali balance. Chlor-alkali balance is an intrinsic requirement of chlor-alkali chemical production: due to the electrolysis of salt, every ton of caustic soda produced yields a fixed 0.88 tons of chlorine. Large-scale chlor-alkali enterprises in Northwest China typically operate integrated “PVC + caustic soda” plants, prioritizing PVC production—with caustic soda as a co-product—and commonly adopting a “chlorine-determined caustic soda” operational mode. Consequently, PVC market dynamics predominantly influence plant operating rates. By contrast, chlor-alkali enterprises in Shandong and Henan provinces are often integrated with alumina production, and thus tend to adopt an “alkali-determined chlorine” mode, where caustic soda market conditions exert greater influence on operating rates. II. Production Processes: Classified by VCM Production Route—Calcium Carbide Process vs. Ethylene Process ◼ PVC is polymerized from VCM. The primary distinction between the calcium carbide route and the ethylene route (including imported-VCM-based processes) lies in the raw materials and technologies used to produce VCM. 1. Calcium Carbide Process PVC: A coal-chemical route to PVC production, relying on calcium carbide derived from coal and limestone. The process proceeds through acetylene generation, VCM synthesis, and subsequent VCM polymerization into PVC. It features simple operation, relatively low equipment safety investment, and limited unit compatibility. However, it poses significant environmental concerns due to mercury-containing spent catalysts and entails high energy consumption: producing one ton of PVC consumes approximately 450–500 kWh of electricity; additionally, producing one ton of calcium carbide from coke consumes about 3,450 kWh—translating to roughly 7,000 kWh per ton of PVC. 2. Ethylene Process PVC: Uses ethylene and chlorine to produce ethylene dichloride (EDC), which is then thermally cracked to yield VCM. Hydrogen chloride (HCl) serves both as a feedstock for EDC synthesis and as a byproduct of EDC cracking into VCM—enabling internal recycling within the process.

Westlake to close PVC plant

Oct 5, 2026

Westlake Chemical will close its PVC plant in Cologne, Germany by Q1 2027 citing weak demand and high energy costs. The closure involves approximately $205 million in pre-tax charges while operations continue from other European facilities.

Hydrocarbon Engineering

2026-01-04

Expectations for Global PVC Production Cuts Intensify

2026-02-24

Westlake Q4 Earnings Beat Amid Accelerated Cost Cutting

2026-03-02

Westlake Chemical Partners LP Filed Annual Report

2026-03-05

Westlake Chemical Partners Posts Full 2025 Annual Report Online

2026-03-13

Westlake Chemical Partners LP Files S-3 Shelf Registration Statement