SolVin    http://www.solvinpvc.com/

SolVin was set up in 1999, when Solvay and BASF joined their competencies in the Vinyls sector, and started its operations in August. Solvay holds 75% and BASF 25% of SolVin. The synergies achieved in know-how, organisation and cost efficiency, the complementary of product ranges as well as upstream integration have built up SolVin as a leader on the PVC and PVDC markets.

Already on January 1, 2000,
SolVin and Atofina established a production joint venture in Fos and Berre, France, by taking over the Vinyls activities of Shell. SolVin has a 21% share of the VCM unit in Fos and 35% of the PVC plant in Berre", indicated Nicolas-Paul Neu, Managing Director of SolVin.

The year 2001 was the year of restructuring for SolVin, which saw the closure of the PVC-plant in Zandvliet, Belgium, in April and the transfer of products to other sites by reducing the overall PVC capacity. "With this move we clearly improved our cost structure and competitiveness", said Harald Schwager, Managing Director of SolVin.

On January 1, 2002,
SolVin integrated the polyvinyl chloride production activities located in Martorell, Spain, which had previously been owned by Solvay. These activities comprise a 65% share of the PVC and VCM production joint venture operated with Atofina, whose 35% stake will remain unaffected. Related activities previously controlled by Solvay, including Martorell's electrolysis unit, were also transferred to SolVin. The production joint venture in Martorell with Atofina was launched in February 1999, with the aim of creating a large integrated plant, which maximises competitiveness. The ownership structure of SolVin was not modified by the transaction. Following this transfer of ownership, the picture is now clear and complete: all of Solvay and BASF group's PVC and PVDC activities in Europe are housed within SolVin.

SolVin is now the biggest integrated player from chlorine via EDC, VCM to PVC and via VDC to PVDC in Europe having operations in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and Italy with an annual capacity of 1.3 million tonnes of PVC and 35 kt of PVDC. SolVin generated consolidated sales exceeding 1 billion euros with 2,300 employees.

In Ferrare, Italy, SolVin founded together with Vulcaflex, Adriaplast and Technometal a joint venture for the recycling of PVC wastes utilising the
Vinyloop-process developed by Solvay. With this investment SolVin furtermore proves its long-term commitment to PVC supporting SolVin's Vision which is based on the four axes

Belgium  

ZANDVLIET - ANTWERPEN
   Products :Cl2, EDC

JEMEPPE-SUR-SAMBRE
   Products :Cl2, VCM, PVC-S

France

SolVin FRANCE S.A. - TAVAUX
   Products :VCM, VDC, PVC-S, PVC-E, PVDC

VINYLBERRE S.A.S. - BERRE L'ETANG
 c/o Shell Chimie BP 14
   Products :VCM, PVC-S

German

SolVin GmbH und Co KG - LUDWIGSHAFEN c/o BASF AG   to be shut down
   Products :VCM, VDC, PVC-S, PVC-E, PVDC

SolVin GmbH und Co KG - RHEINBERG Ludwigstrasse
   Products : VCM, PVC-S, PVC-E

Spain

VINILIS, S.A.
   Products :VCM - PVC-S

HISPAVIC IBERICA, S.L.
   Comercializacion Resinas de PVC

VINYTHAI    PVC Resins Asia

Solvay Indupa
  PVC Resins South-America

VINYLOOP    PVC composite recycling


(February 25, 2002 発表) 

Breakthrough in recycling PVC composite waste:
Start-up of first industrial unit using the VINYLOOP(R) process, in Ferrara (Italy)

The first industrial unit to use the Vinyloop process started operating this month. It is at Solvay's Ferrara site, and will be able to regenerate PVC from at least 10,000 tonnes a year of waste plastic material.

The unit is operated by Vinyloop Ferrara SpA, a joint venture of four companies: SolVin Italia, Adriaplast, Tecnometal and Vulcaflex(1) . It cost 10.6 million euros in total, and received financial support from Vinyl 2010, the European PVC industry's Voluntary Commitment (2).

The waste materials processed will primarily be PVC insulation material from electric cables, and at least 80% of this will be waste from post-consumer materials.

The Vinyloop process was developed by Solvay's Research and Development center in Brussels, and was patented in 1998. Studies for the Ferrara project began in September 2000, and construction started on the site of Solvin Italia's old PVC production plant in March 2001. The investment project thus also demonstrates Solvay's active involvement in transforming and restoring one of its sites whose original industrial function has ceased.

The first batches of recycled PVC were produced on 4 February 2002, and investigations will be made in the coming months to see whether there is scope for improvements in the way the installation operates.

Waste insulating material from cables is often a mixture of PVC, rubber and polyethylene. To produce optimal yields from the recycling, there are plans for a line to pre-treat the waste, starting in April 2002. This will use the Tricare process, which was developed by Solvay as part of a European research program and makes it possible to attain a PVC content of 85% from the waste material.

The life cycle assessment for PVC applications has been greatly improved by this new ability to recycle composite waste materials, and the start-up of this first unit demonstrates the will of Solvay and its partner firms to make practical progress in their pursuit of sustainable development. Such an initiative is only valid, however, if the process is cost-effective. In fact, the quality of the PVC regenerated in the VinyloopR process makes possible a selling price which is a high percentage of that for a virgin compound. This will assist Vinyloop Ferrara SpA in quickly reaching breakeven.

The second Vinyloop industrial unit will especially designed to recycle PVC-coated tarpaulins and fabrics produced by Ferrari Textiles (France), a company that has played a leading part from the beginning in the development of Vinyloop. This unit should start operating in 2004, and there are half a dozen other projects being studied elsewhere in Europe, Canada and Japan.

SOLVAY is an international chemicals and pharmaceuticals group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs about 32,000 people in 50 countries. In 2000 its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.9 billion generated by its four activity sectors: Chemicals, Plastics, Processing and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay is listed in the Euronext 100 index of top European companies. Details are available at www.solvay.com.

(1) SolVin Italia is one of the participants in the Solvin joint venture (75% Solvay, 25% BASF), which is one of the main PVC producers in Europe. Adriaplast SpA is a subsidiary of the Solvay group that produces industrial films for the pharmaceutical sector, food packaging and applications such as credit cards. Tecnometal Srl has a leading position in Europe as a company specializing in the recycling of electricity and telephone cables. Vulcaflex SpA is a European leader in PVC coating and calendering for a variety of applications from motor vehicle components to packaging, furniture and footware.

(2)Vinyl 2010, the European PVC industry's Voluntary Commitment, is a joint initiative of Europe's manufacturing federations for PVC (ECVM), plasticizers (ECPI) and stabilizers (ESPA), and the plastics converters' federation (EuPC).


(平成13年3月30日 Mr. Crucifix: Solvay社のVinyloop Project Leader)

プロセスの概要と特長
スクラップから溶剤によりPVCを抽出し、パウダー状の製品(PVCコンパウンド)を再生するプロセス。
単に溶剤によりPVCを抽出するプロセスは、米国で20年以上前に開発されており、うまく行っていない。本プロセスは、溶剤をスチーム吹き込みにより追い出し、パウダー状の製品を沈殿分離するところに大きな特徴がある。
最初に1μの粒子が析出し、そのまわりにAdditiveがとりつく。やがて合一し300〜500ミクロンの粒子になる。
原料(スクラップ)が他の素材との複合体である場合に強みを発揮する。
再生製品は、粒子径分布(コントロール可能)が非常にシャープな粒状であり、そのまま成形可能である。
グラフでは、355μにピークがある。微粉はない。150μにできないか検討中と。
コンパウンド組成は、沈殿工程にAdditiveを追加することで調整可能。
色物には不向き。(単色であれば可)


2003/5/28 Solvin

SolVin to secure production in larger world-class plants
  
Vinyls Activities will be Discontinued in Ludwigshafen

SolVin announced its decision to shut down its vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) operations in Ludwigshafen, Germany, on January 1, 2006 - as these operations are not run in world-scale plants.
(Note: VCM 110,000t, PVC 150,000t)

Since this rationalization has been carefully planned, BASF, the operator of the plants, is confident that it will be able to secure new positions for the 167 workers concerned.

The reduced capacities will be partly rebuilt in other SolVin production sites, in an effort to further enhance the company's plants as larger, highly competitive, world scale operations. One or more sites will be selected to accommodate this capacity on the basis of their intrinsic competitiveness.

"Concentrating vinyls production in very large capacity, state-of-the-art, well-balanced plants has a doubly positive effect", said Nicolas-Paul Neu, Managing Director of SolVin. "We are enhancing our leadership through our improved competitiveness and securing our activities," he said.

The transfer of the production will be achieved without disturbing the delivery of different product grades to the market. This reorganization is aimed at ensuring long term partnership and excellent services for SolVin's customers.

SolVin was set up in 1999, when Solvay and BASF joined their competences in the vinyls sector. Solvay owns 75% of SolVin and BASF the remaining 25%. The synergies achieved in know-how and organization, the complementarity of product ranges as well as upstream integration have built up SolVin as a leader on the PVC and PVDC markets. The joint venture has operations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Benelux countries and a total capacity of some 1.3 million tonnes of PVC. SolVin generated consolidated sales of EUR 1.1 billion in 2002, with 2,100 employees. More details are available at http://www.solvinpvc.com


2006/5/11 Solvay

SolVin invests EUR 50 million to concentrate vinyl production on global size plants, optimizes logistics & product range
http://www.solvaypress.com/pressreleases/0,,42491-2-0,00.htm

Competitiveness enhanced with larger capacities, innovative products

Solvay announces today that its vinyls joint venture in Europe, SolVin, has invested nearly EUR 50 million to redeploy its manufacturing activity on a limited number of sites whose production capacity will exceed 300,000 metric tons per annum each. This initiative follows the
closing of SolVins vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plants in Ludwigshafen, Germany, which ceased to operate on January 1, 2006 without causing any forced redundancies.

SolVin has been transferring operations previously carried out in Ludwigshafen
to its sites of Martorell (Spain), Jemeppe-sur-Sambre (Belgium) and Rheinberg (Germany). SolVin ensured seamless supply of its customers during the transfer operations. It is now in a position to offer optimal logistic solutions as well as security of supply from its three plants, which are ideally spread throughout Europe.

The redeployment involved the implementation of more competitive production technologies using, among other factors, larger autoclave units and various process improvements. After the extensions which are scheduled to be completed in 2006, the average production capacity of SolVin vinyl plants will be 30% higher than the sector
s average in Europe, while their raw material integration will be very well balanced.

SolVin has also innovated in close co-operation with major customers to develop new vinyl resins with enhanced properties which fulfill the requirements of a larger variety of applications. The company has consequently rationalized production and is now focusing its expertise on the manufacturing of carefully selected grades.

SolVin combines the competences of Solvay and BASF in the European vinyls sector. The synergies achieved in know-how and organization, the complementarities of product ranges as well as upstream integration have built up SolVin as a leader on the PVC and PVDC markets. The joint venture has operations in France, Germany, Spain and the Benelux countries and a total annual production capacity of 1.3 million tons of PVC, with nearly 2000 employees.
Solvay owns 75% of SolVin and BASF, the remaining 25%.

SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 30,000 people in 50 countries. In 2005 its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.6 billion generated by its three activity sectors: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. SOLVAY is listed on the Euronext 100 index of top European companies. Details are available at www.solvay.com.


Platts 2006/6/12

Solvin inaugurates 80,000 mt/year PVC production line in Germany

Belgium-based PVC producer Solvin has inaugurated a new 80,000 mt/year PVC production line at Rheinberg, Germany, a spokesman for the joint venture said. The company is a 75:25 joint venture of Solvay and Germany's BASF.
The new line cost about Eur26 million ($32.8 million) to build. A large share of output from the expanded facility is to be shipped to the growth regions of central and eastern Europe, where market volume has increased by 8% since 2000 and now totals more than 1 million mt/year, Solvin said. Up to 2010, Solvin expected growth to continue around this 8% rate.


2007/3/30 Solvay

SolVin considers new PVDC latex production unit
  Serving Growing demand for barrier material

SolVin, a joint venture between Solvay and BASF, announces today that it is planning to build a second production unit of
Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) latex in response to growing global demand. PVDC latex is a specialty barrier material used as coating in packaging applications where the integrity of the goods is critical - essentially in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

SolVin currently serves PVDC latex clients out of its production unit in Tavaux (France). SolVin is now considering the creation of a new unit with an annual production capacity of
10,000 tonnes, to be located possibly in Asia - for instance on Solvays site in Map Tha Put, Thailand. SolVin is expecting to make a decision by the third quarter of 2007 and to start construction work subsequently.

The unique properties of polyvinylidene chloride latex, which SolVin markets under the Diofan(R) brand name, make it the preferred choice of the food and pharma industry to match the highest barrier requirements,observed Vincenzo Morici, General Manager of the Specialty Polymers Strategic Business Unit, Solvay. SolVin intends to uphold its commercial and technological leadership as well as its global reputation of excellence for this class of products. We will be in a position to continue serving our clientsexpansion, while feeding Solvays strategy of sustainable and profitable growth in the Specialty Polymers business,Morici added;

SolVin is a joint venture of which
Solvay owns 75% and BASF, 25%. It is a leader on the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) market in Europe and on the PVDC market worldwide.

SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 29,000 people in 50 countries. In 2006, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 9.4 billion, generated by its three sectors of activity: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay (Euronext : SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR) is listed on the Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com

Notes to the Editors:
The unique set of properties of polyvinylidene chloride with combined water vapor and oxygen barrier properties, impressive barrier to oils, greases, chemicals, and to other gases and odors, transparency and printability, excellent thermoforming performance and machinability makes it effective in protecting foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals. These properties allow processors to limit the volume of material needed to manufacture safe and effective packaging.


2007/7/24 Solvin

SOLVIN moves to reap sustainable benefits from dynamic vinyls market
Focus on highly competitive production units

SolVin, the European vinyls joint venture of Solvay and BASF, announces today that it is planning to expand the capacity of its plant in Jemeppe (Belgium), as part of a strategy to derive sustainable and profitable growth from dynamic global vinyls markets. Pending relevant regulatory clearance,
annual capacity in Jemeppe will be lifted to 475,000 metric tons of fully integrated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by 2009, up from 400.000 metric tons today. SolVin has already successfully reorganized its operations in Europe; the closing of its Ludwigshafen plant in 2006 was one of the major steps in this process.

The global market for vinyls has grown by more than 6% annually in recent years and is expanding by nearly 15% per annum in Eastern Europe or China. Vinyl is the preferred polymer for a number of construction, infrastructure and utilities applications which partially explains its success in the world
s most dynamic economies.

In the European Union (EU 27), the market has expanded significantly, with 600,000 tons in additional PVC consumption to date, compared with 2005. This was made possible by the competitiveness of vinyl products in the context of structurally high oil prices.

Following a detailed assessment by the industry and independent bodies, Vinyl is recognized as a major contributor to sustainable products, on the basis of its moderate content of petroleum-based raw materials, its insulation, fire protection and energy-saving properties and its recyclability - thanks, in particular, to the Vinyloop(R) technology developed by Solvay.

In China, authorities are tempering existing and planned vinyl production capacities, due to growing environmental concerns over the acetylene-based production process which is operated there. By contrast, the ethylene-based technology implemented by SolVin consumes 50% less energy, with a considerably reduced environmental impact.

The vinyls market has changed drastically in recent years,commented Jean-Pierre Pleska, General Manager of the Strategic Business Unit Vinyls, Solvay. The robust growth of the vinyl market offers significant business opportunities. Solvay s vinyls subsidiaries - SolVin in Europe including Russia, Solvay Indupa in Mercosur and Vinythai in South-East Asia - are in the best position to grasp these opportunities, with top quality products, highly competitive production units and state-of-the-art technologies, which comprise full recycling,added Jean-Pierre Pleska.

SolVin combines the competences of Solvay and BASF in the European vinyls sector. The synergies achieved in know-how and organization, the complementarities of product ranges as well as upstream integration have built up SolVin as a leader on the PVC and PVDC markets. The joint venture has operations in France, Germany, Spain and the Benelux countries and a total annual production capacity of 1.3 million tons of PVC, with nearly 2000 employees. Solvay owns 75% of SolVin and BASF, 25%. For further information, visit www.solvinpvc.com.

BASF is the world
s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. BASF has approximately 95,000 employees and posted sales of ?52.6 billion in 2006. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 29,000 people in 50 countries. In 2006, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 9.4 billion, generated by its three sectors of activity: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay (Euronext : SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR) is listed on the Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com