BASF announces plant closures in Ludwigshafen
Due to a lack of profitability, BASF intends to discontinue the production of adipic acid, cyclododecanone (CDon) and cyclopentanone (CPon) at the Ludwigshafen site by 2025. Around 180 employees will be affected by the closures.
The measure is part of a strategic realignment of the site under changed market conditions. BASF aims to improve the profitability of the Ludwigshafen site with structural adjustments and plant closures.
The chemical company BASF plans to discontinue the production of adipic acid, cyclododecanone (CDon) and cyclopentanone (CPon) at the Ludwigshafen site. The production plants for CDon and CPon are to be shut down in the first half of 2025. The remaining adipic acid production in Ludwigshafen will be closed in the course of 2025. The company has taken this decision as part of the ongoing strategic review of its production facilities at the Ludwigshafen site. According to BASF, the measures are intended to ensure competitiveness under changing market conditions.
Around 180 BASF employees affected
The production capacity for adipic acid had already been reduced following the adjustment of the Verbund structures at the Ludwigshafen site announced in February 2023. The remaining adipic acid production was partially continued to secure the raw material supply for the production of CDon and CPon. BASF will finalise the supply of CDon and CPon in close coordination with customers. Around 180 employees are affected by the plant closures. BASF will support the affected employees in their search for new employment opportunities within the BASF Group.
“These closures are part of the development of a long-term target picture for the transformation of the Ludwigshafen site,” says Dr Katja Scharpwinkel, member of the Board of Executive Directors, Labour Director of BASF and Head of the Ludwigshafen site. CDon is the main raw material for the production of lauryllactam, a precursor for the high-performance plastic polyamide 12 (PA 12). CDon is also used for the synthesis of musk fragrances and UV stabilisers. CPon is used as a building block for the synthesis of pesticides and active pharmaceutical ingredients, as a solvent in the production of semiconductors and as a precursor for the production of special fragrances. Adipic acid is used in the production of polyamides, polyurethanes, coatings and adhesives, among other things.
