Materials manufacturer Covestro plans to continue manufacturing the rigid foam precursor MDI at its plant in Tarragona, Spain. The plant closure that had originally been planned for the end of 2017 has been suspended for the time being, due to a significant increase in demand for MDI, according to the company. Covestro has also managed to get access to important raw materials, in particular chlorine, for the Tarragona site for the next years beyond the end of 2017. According to the company, the impact on the employees will be minimized. ‘The decision is a clear statement that we remain committed to the MDI market,’ said Markus Steilemann, head of the business unit polyurethanes and board member for innovation. ‘We will investigate various options for additional MDI to cover the growing demand. In this context, Covestro is committed to its plans to increase MDI production at its German site in Brunsbüttel. MDI is an important component in the manufacture of polyurethane rigid foam, which is amongst other applications used for effective building insulation and along the entire cold chain.’
This story uses material from Covestro,with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
