16 March 2017

ABOUT COVESTRO

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.

READ MORE

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