The splitter will enable Huntsman to produce more high-value differentiated grades from crude MDI.
The Huntsman Corporation has recently announced that the company has started the operations of its new methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) splitter at the Geismar production plant (Louisiana, U.S.A.). The $180 million splitter allows to manufacture more high-value and differentiated grades from the crude MDI manufactured at the site.
“The new splitter reinforces our strategy of delivering value over volume by creating a more differentiated product portfolio. It enables us to provide our customers in automotive, furniture, construction, adhesives and coatings markets with more options for innovative, sustainable polyurethanes products,” has stated Tony Hankins, the president of the Polyurethanes division at Huntsman.
The completion of the MDI splitter project has been celebrated during a special event hosted by Huntsman’s Chairman, President and CEO Peter Huntsman, that took place on Wednesday 13th July 2022 at the Geismar facility. The special Guests included the Attorney General of Louisiana Jeff Landry, local officials, customers and suppliers, as well as members of the company’s senior leadership team and the employees of the plant.
“Our new splitter bridges the gap between our upstream MDI manufacturing assets and the downstream needs of our customers – both domestic and international. Our mission is to deliver what our customers need to help them innovate and grow. This investment will strengthen our ability to meet, and exceed, those expectations,” had commented, during the event, Jan Buberl – the vice-president of the Polyurethanes division for the Americas region.
“Our thanks go to our construction partners, suppliers and every associate and contractor involved in the new splitter. Even without factoring in the additional health and safety measures we needed to put in place for COVID, and the extreme weather events such as Hurricane Ida, the construction of a new splitter is a major undertaking. The project was completed on time, incident free, demonstrating Huntsman’s focus and commitment to safe working practices,” has concluded Mark Dearman, the site manager at Geismar.