German styrenics producer Ineos Styrolution (Frankfurt; www.ineos-styrolution.com) said it plans to produce acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) at its plant in Wingles / France to meet growing demand in Europe. One of the existing three polystyrene production lines at Wingles will be converted into a production line for ABS with a capacity of about 50,000 t/y. It is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2020.

The company said demand for ABS solutions has been increasing from the automotive, household, electronics, healthcare, construction and packaging industries in the region.

In Europe, the Ineos group subsidiary currently operates ABS plants in Germany at Dormagen and Ludwigshafen as well as in Antwerp / Belgium. According to Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), these factories have a combined capacity of nearly 500,000 t/y. Polyglobe also shows that PS capacity at Wingles is now at 180,000 t/y.

Demand for PS has been declining in Europe for years now. In contrast, suppliers in Europe can only partly meet demand emanating from regional buyers. Imports from Asia cover the shortfall.