Consumables

Eastman Completes Restart of Olefin Cracking Unit at Longview Site

Thursday 23. December 2010 - Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) today announced it has completed the restart of a previously idled cracking unit at its Longview, Texas, site. The restart of this cracker increases Eastman's olefin capacity by approximately 215,000 metric tons and brings the company's total number of active cracking units to three.

“The restart of this cracker was prompted by a favorable shift in market conditions for olefin feedstocks which is expected to continue over the next several years,” said Ron Lindsay, executive vice president, Performance Polymers and Chemical Intermediates. “Restarting this cracking unit will give us an advantaged cost position over purchasing olefins in the North American market.”
Eastman’s cracking units produce propylene and ethylene which are used to make olefin derivatives in the company’s Performance Chemicals and Intermediates (PCI) and Coatings, Adhesives, Specialty Polymers and Inks (CASPI) segments.