16 March 2017
Covestro in Spain
Covestro has two locations in Spain
that currently employ around 330 people.
The Covestro site in Barcelona (Zona Franca)
is dedicated to the manufacturing of resins
and the production of coatings,
textile and fabric treatments,
acrylic dispersions and polyurethanes.
At the end of 2016, the company announced
the incorporation of a new production line
of polyurethane dispersion for coating textiles.
At the Tarragona location, Covestro operates
an MDI facility, a polyurethane system house
and infrastructure facilities that are also available
to other companies in the chemical park.
In addition, a logistics center for hydrochloric acid
will be built here, with an investment
of around three million euros.
"What are Polyurethanes" - see also ISOPA video on YouTube:
Isocyanates
Many polyurethane products – such as polyurethane foams
– are made by combining two types of monomer units namely
isocyanates and polyols:
MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) or
TDI (toluene diisocyanate) depending on
the application, and
polyether polyols (PET).
MDI is used for rigid foam (e.g. to provide thermal insulation
for buildings and insulation in the refrigeration chain),
TDI for flexible foams (e.g. for upholstery and mattresses).
Polyols
Polyols are compounds with multiple hydroxyl functional groups
available for organic reactions. Polymeric polyols
are the second component for polyurethanes
and are reacted with isocyanates.
Although there are relatively few marketable isocyanates,
there are a whole host of polyols, polyethers, polyesters,
polyether polyols and other substances.
This results in a wide variety of polyurethane materials.
The properties of polyurethane can be customized
by choosing the right polyol components.
Our Polyols are sold under the brand names:
DETAILS
Covestro has resolved to continue manufacturing
the rigid foam precursor MDI
in Tarragona (Spain).
The plant closure that had originally been planned
for the end of 2017 has been suspended
for the time being.
The main reason for this decision
was the significant increase in demand for MDI.
Furthermore, Covestro has 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 current plans,
the impact on the employees will be minimized.
The continuous optimization of the production worldwide
remains an important element of Covestro’s strategy.
The aim is to operate the most efficient facilities
when compared with competitors.
Andrea Firenze,
Managing Director of Covestro S.L. in Spain
“This is good news for the Tarragona site
and our employees. Through our continued operations
in Tarragona, we want to reliably meet
our customers’ growth further on,”
Markus Steilemann,
Head of the Business Unit Polyurethanes
and Board Member for Innovation
“The decision is a clear statement
that we remain committed to the MDI market.
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.
The energy savings achieved lead to
reductions in CO2 emissions.
WWW.CHEMWINFO.COM BY KHUN PHICHAI
