BASF declares Force Majeure for citral and derivatives
- Plant shutdown after fire
- Shutdown period of four weeks
Lampertheim, Germany – March 19, 2014 – Due to a fire caused by a technical equipment failure that occurred at BASF’s citral plant in Ludwigshafen on March 12, the company had to shut down the plant and is forced to declare Force Majeure on citral-based aroma chemicals as well as Vitamin A and Vitamin E products for human and animal nutrition.
Based on current best technical estimation, the Force Majeure event will lead to a shutdown period of four weeks from now.
The resulting effects of the Force Majeure situation for customers are currently being evaluated. Meanwhile BASF is implementing measures to limit the consequences of the situation.
To the extent BASF has products available on stock, we will supply our customers on a pro-rata basis. The Force Majeure situation is not related to any product safety or quality issues.
BASF will continuously inform customers about the development and the details regarding our supply capability with the affected products.
About BASF’s Nutrition & Health division
BASF’s Nutrition & Health division develops, produces and markets a comprehensive range of products and services for the human and animal nutrition, pharmaceutical as well as flavor and fragrance industries. The division strives to contribute to a better life through improving the nutrition, health and wellbeing of people across the world. Important human nutrition products include vitamins and carotenoids, plant sterols, emulsifiers and omega-3 fatty acids. Its feed additives such as vitamins, carotenoids, enzymes and organic acids make Nutrition & Health a worldwide leader for the animal nutrition market. The division provides the pharmaceutical industry with active ingredients such as caffeine and ibuprofen, as well as excipients and custom synthesis services. Furthermore, it produces aroma ingredients such as citral, geraniol and L-menthol for the flavor and fragrance industry.
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
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