BASF and Idemitsu restructure BDO business in Japan

05-Jun-2003

BASF Aktiengesellschaft will increase its share in Idemitsu BASF Co., Ltd., (IBC) a joint venture with Idemitsu Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (IPC), from 50% to 67%. At the same time the company will change its corporate name to BASF Idemitsu Co. Ltd. (BIC).

BIC will continue to operate a plant for the production of 1,4-Butanediol (BDO) with an annual capacity of 25 kilo tons, which is fully integrated into IPC's petrochemical production complex located at Ichihara City, Chiba, Japan. The Chiba chemical complex directly faces Tokyo Bay and is one of the largest and most competitive chemical sites in Japan.

Also effective July 1, BIC will be solely responsible for the BDO business of BASF Group and IBC in Japan. Market demand in excess of BIC's capacity will be supplied from BASF's other BDO production sites in Asia, Europe and America. BASF is the global BDO market leader with a total annual capacity of 575 kilo tons BDO equivalents worldwide.

"This restructuring of BIC clearly strengthens BASF's position in the important Japanese BDO market," explains Dr. Walter Gramlich, President Intermediates, BASF. "We will continue to secure stable and reliable supplies of this important intermediate chemical to BIC's customers in Japan through continued and established partnership with BASF", says Teruo Umayabashi, President of Idemitsu Petrochemical. BDO is used for the production of engineering plastics, polyurethanes and elastic fibers.

About Idemitsu Petrochemical Co., Ltd. IPC's Chiba and Tokuyama Plants are located adjacent to the oil refineries of Idemitsu Kosan and that gives IPC big advantage of integrated production with these refineries. IPC has production facilities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan outside Japan and IPC had sales of about 363 Billion Yen and 1,900 employees in 2002.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/23961/basf-and-idemitsu-restructure-bdo-business-in-japan.html