p>Germany-based BASF will spin off its styrenics business to separate companies, which it hopes to complete by January 1, 2011, the company said Thursday. BASF said it will establish Styrolution after it carves out its businesses in styrene monomers, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, styrene butadiene copolymers and other styrene-based copolymers and establishes separate companies. But the company will retain its global business in polystyrene foams. "The SM/PS capacities in Ludwigshafen used to produce foams will also remain with BASF," said the company, which operates a 550,000 mt/year SM unit at Ludwigshafen. According to BASF, it will transfer its styrenics business at production sites at Ludwigshafen and Schwarzheide in Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; Ulsan, South Korea; Dahej, India; and Altamira, Mexico to Styrolution. "Separate companies will also be established in other countries, for instance in the US, Italy or China, where BASF has other styrenic activities, such as marketing and sales," the company said.
China Chemical Weekly: http://news.chemnet.com/en/detail-1411716.html
