Fire-stricken BASF plant “back on stream” in March at the earliest

10 Jan 2018 --- BASF confirms that it still expects to start up the Citral plant in Ludwigshafen by March at the earliest following a blaze at the German site last fall. The latest progress reports including the potential availability of products are being detailed by the company which aims to keep customers and industry stakeholders informed of the progress of the repair work.

BASF was forced to declare Force Majeure on all its Citral and Isoprenol-based aroma ingredients and on Vitamin A and E, and several Carotenoid products.

The latest company announcement says the start-up procedure is expected to take several weeks and after initiation of Citral production, downstream products need to be manufactured in a step-wise approach.

Human nutrition, animal nutrition and cosmetic ingredients
The Vitamin A and E plants in Ludwigshafen will only be able to restart once supply of Citral is reestablished and the corresponding intermediates for Vitamin A and E become
Available, says BASF.

The downstream products of BASF’s human and animal nutrition businesses as well as the cosmetic ingredients business (Vitamin A, E, several Carotenoids) from the Ludwigshafen site are expected to become available for shipment or transport six to 12 weeks after the start-up of the Citral plant. Actual availability will strongly depend on the product.

Once manufactured, the lead time to ship products to the regions differs, taking from a few days or weeks within Europe, to several weeks or months in countries overseas.

BASF is currently supplying its existing stocks available from before the fire on October 31, 2017, to customers in a fair and reasonable manner, according to contractual obligations and applicable law.

“The Force Majeure has put many of our customers in a very difficult situation, which we sincerely regret,” says Melanie Maas-Brunner, President of BASF’s Nutrition & Health division. “I can assure them that it is our top priority to get the Citral production plant in Ludwigshafen back on stream. At the same time, we want to keep our customers and stakeholders continuously informed about what we are doing and how we are progressing.”