Ineos Barex AG announced today that it intends to close the Barex plant in Lima, Ohio (USA). The plant is the sole Ineos facility that produces Barex resins. The plant is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015. David Schmidt, CEO of Ineos Barex, said: "We regret having to take the decision to close our Barex plant and wind-down the Barex business. The business has been struggling financially for a number of years. We have worked diligently to reduce costs and improve profitability, but have been unsuccessful in turning around the business. We will work with our customers and employees to ensure an orderly closure of the Barex business over the coming months."
Ineos also operates acrylonitrile and catalyst plants at its Lima site, and those plants are not impacted by this announcement.
Acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate co-polymer Barex is widely used in the global packaging industry due to its unique performance characteristics. It offers oxygen barrier protection and chemical resistance combined with strength, impact resistance, and processing versatility. Its versatility makes it readily convertible into bottles, blown film, sheet and moulded parts.
Barex can be processed through traditional extrusion, injection and calendering techniques and is easily thermoformed. Because of its strength, Barex can also match the stiffness of other resins at reduced thickness, allowing for source reduction as well as lighter packaging, which can translate into substantial cost savings to the end-user.
Manufacturing of Barex was introduced commercially at Lima site in 1975.
