Key titanium dioxide supplier Huntsman reports large-scale fire in Pori works – tight situation for white printing inks
According to a press release dated 31 January 2017, Huntsman reported a fire at its works in Pori on its homepage. Pori has an annual production capacity of 130,000 metric tons, which is equivalent to about 10 % of the European market requirement.
Although Huntsman has pledged to get the production facility up and running again as soon as possible, it is at present still unknown how long that will take.
Generally speaking, this accident has hit the titanium dioxide market at an unfavourable time, since the few European manufacturers have been running their on-hand stocks down for some time now. It is doubtful whether the European titanium dioxide industry can serve market demands adequately with this limited capability to deliver.
Huntsman has other European production facilities that may be able owing the circumstances to provide substitute qualities. Nothing is known at present about future delivery capabilities.
The Doneck Network is working flat out on solutions to secure capability to deliver white printing inks. We hope that the situation will stabilise in the very near future.
If delivery specifications should differ from previous ones, we will inform the customers concerned promptly. In any case we recommend that special parameters or product properties not explicitly agreed with our company be carefully checked once again before production printing.
The Doneck Network will ensure that, in the current situation, no customer will be at a disadvantage with regard to readiness for delivery and that merely the previously normal required quantities will be covered.
More information: EUPIA PR 02 2017 (PDF)
Photo: Karri Laihonen /Yie
