PVC manufacturer Vestolit (Marl, Germany; www.vestolit.de) lifted the force majeure on PVC deliveries from its Knapsack plant on 24 September, according to a customer letter Plasteurope.com recently received.

It states that the “complications that caused the repair at our production plant in Knapsack” have been resolved and production is back to normal.

Vestolit had declared FM on PVC on 6 August. In the weeks prior, Plasteurope.com price-discussion panellists had repeatedly reported minor technical faults. With a capacity of 210,000 t/y, the PVC plant in Knapsack is the largest of the Westlake-owned producer.

The situation on the PVC market is becoming increasingly rough. The Plasteurope.com Price Team reports that negotiations for the fourth quarter of 2024 are likely to be tough for both producers and processors. The reason being that demand is at rock bottom and the market is currently characterised by oversupply. Nevertheless, producers are pushing for margin improvements, while many processors can no longer afford higher raw material prices due to a lack of orders.