Westlake: Vinnolit to Close PVC Plant in Cologne

US chemicals group Westlake has announced plans to close the PVC plant operated by its German subsidiary Vinnolit in Cologne.

According to the company, production at the Cologne-Merkenich site is scheduled to cease in the first quarter of next year. Westlake cited the challenging conditions facing the European chemical industry, including weak demand, high energy costs and increasing import pressure from Asia.

The Cologne plant has higher production costs than Westlake’s other European PVC sites due to its smaller scale and greater logistics requirements. In future, Westlake Vinnolit therefore plans to supply customers in Germany from more cost-efficient PVC production sites. These include, in particular, the Wilhelmshaven plant, which the group acquired from insolvent Vynova in the middle of this year (see also plasticker-news dated June 17, 2026).

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Westlake CEO Jean-Marc Gilson said in the company’s latest statement: “Given the persistently challenging market conditions facing the global chemical industry, we have made the difficult decision, as part of our ongoing optimization of business operations, to cease operations at our PVC site in Cologne. We will continue to supply our valued customers with PVC produced at our other German sites. I would like to recognize the dedication and contributions of all our employees, including those who will be leaving us. We are grateful for their many years of service and are committed to treating everyone affected with respect and supporting them through this transition.”

The Cologne plant has an annual PVC production capacity of around 165,000 tonnes. In connection with the closure, Westlake expects to record total charges of approximately USD 205 million.

Vinnolit, which has been part of Westlake since 2014, is headquartered in Ismaning near Munich. In addition to its plants in Cologne and Wilhelmshaven, the company operates further production sites in Gendorf, Burghausen and Knapsack.

More information: westlakevinnolit.com, www.westlake.com

Westlake Corporation, Houston, Texas, USA

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