French specialty chemicals producer Arkema (Colombes; www.arkema.com) has touted plans to invest EUR 70m into raising its polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) output in France. Group management unveiled the relevant plans to union representatives at the affected sites in Pierre Benite and St. Auban on 17 February 2012.

The project includes a new reactor in Pierre Benite, which will raise PVDF output by 50% to 9,000 t/y, and also calls for expanding the production of key PVDF feedstock T111 (trichloroethane) in St. Auban. Since the latter unit is currently in deficit, Arkema’s plans also included a restructuring at the site, as part of which 25 jobs would be cut within 6 years. Although the original project did not call for any operational lay-offs, workers at both sites responded to the plan by calling a spontaneous strike. The move apparently caught management by surprise. In response to a Plasteurope.com query, a company spokeswoman said that faced with such opposition, Arkema had decided to shelve the expansion plans for the time being.

Aside from its plant in Pierre Benite, Arkema operates two more PVDF facilities in Calvert City / USA as well as Changshu / China. The latter plant was commissioned in spring last year – see Plasteurope.com of 19.04.2011 – and the French group is currently in the midst of raising its output by 50% to an estimated 9,000 t/y.