BASF is intensifying its investment in vitamin E production at its Ludwigshafen site in Germany.
The company has detailed a comprehensive plan to enhance asset performance through infrastructure optimization, automation, and reliability improvements. These measures are designed to stabilize processes and improve overall utilization at the facility.
“We aim to implement a series of initiatives to enhance reliability and boost process stability,” a company spokesperson told us.
By 2027, BASF anticipates a 10% increase in annual vitamin E acetate production capacity, enabled by a low-double-digit million-euro investment.
Citral production footprint
BASF is also growing its citral production capabilities, a key precursor for vitamins A and E. Alongside its two existing citral plants in Ludwigshafen and Kuantan, Malaysia, the company is constructing a third facility in Zhanjiang, China.
Scheduled to be operational by late 2025, the Zhanjiang site aims to provide long-term, reliable support to customers in this fast-growing region.
Recovery efforts after blast
In July 2024, BASF’s Ludwigshafen complex experienced a significant incident involving an explosion and subsequent fire.
The affected plant, which produces aroma ingredients and critical precursors for vitamins, suffered extensive damage. This led BASF to declare force majeure on the supply of several products, including vitamins A and E, carotenoids, and aroma ingredients.
In October 2024, BASF announced delays to production resumption. Today, the company reiterated that vitamin A production is expected to restart in April 2025, followed by vitamin E and carotenoids in July 2025.
“Restarting production does not immediately lift the force majeure,” the spokesperson emphasized. “It will take several months to rebuild global, regional, and local inventories and ensure ‘business as usual.’ We are working diligently to accelerate repairs without compromising safety.”
BASF stressed how its ongoing investments reflect its commitment to enhancing production reliability and meeting global demand for critical vitamins and aroma ingredients.
Credit: feednavigator.com
