SABIC And Zeon Will Shut U.K. Plants

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. will close its cyclohexane unit in Wilton, England, at the start of 2017. The facility is currently supplied with benzene from SABIC’s naphtha cracker at the site. But the cracker will soon be converted to ethane feedstock and as a result won’t generate the cyclohexane raw material benzene. Meanwhile, Zeon Chemicals says it will close its nitrile rubber plant in Sully, Wales, with the loss of 100 jobs. The company blames the closure on changing market conditions and uncertainty in the long-term availability of raw materials.