Orion plans to discontinue underperforming carbon black lines in the Americas and EMEA
HOUSTON, July 8 – Orion S.A., a global specialty chemicals company, announced it plans to discontinue production at three to five of its carbon black lines at multiple facilities in the Americas and EMEA by the end of 2025.
“This decision is part of Orion’s strategy to focus maintenance investments on higher-performing production lines – making them more reliable and productive – and to rationalize underperforming assets,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said. “This move is also intended to enhance free cash flow.”
Painter added, “Recently introduced U.S. tariffs, the EU anti-dumping investigation and continued tire capacity investment in both regions should help reverse the local tire manufacturing share loss. However, given the uncertain timing of this recovery, we are choosing to take this action now.”
About Orion S.A.
Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection. Orion has four innovation centers and produces carbon black at 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.
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