Orion S.A., a global supplier of carbon black, 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.
The material is used for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection.
“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.”