Celanese plans to close Belgian base

On March 6, Celanese announced plans to close its engineering materials composite base in Mechelen, Belgium.

According to ICIS reports, the main reason for closing the Belgian production base this time is high operating costs, and Celanese also stated in a financial document that closing the factory will help optimize the production costs of the company's global network.

Currently, production operations at Celanese’s Mechelen plant are expected to permanently cease at the end of September 2024, subject to subsequent consultation processes with the works council and union representatives. Celanese said the cost of terminating employees would depend on the outcome of collective bargaining council negotiations, adding that no reasonable estimate of those costs could be made at this time.

It is reported that the base is one of the DuPont assets that Celanese will acquire for US$11 billion in 2022. In November 2022, Celanese completed the acquisition of DuPont's Transportation and Materials (M&M) business for US$11 billion. The business unit includes products from its engineered polymers and performance resins portfolio, which includes a variety of specialty materials including nylons, specialty nylons, polyesters and elastomers.