Evonik’s second methionine plant in Asia goes live

18-Jun-2019 - Last updated on 18-Jun-2019 at 09:27 GMT

Evonik has opened its second facility for methionine production in Singapore; the new plant on Jurong Island has seen investment of more than half a billion euros and the creation of 100 additional jobs.

The plant produces its DL-methionine product, branded as MetAMINO, along with “strategically important” precursors.

“We are in the ramp up phase which is normal for ‘switching on’ such a large complex,” a spokesperson for Evonik told us.

This is the German company’s second DL-methionine production facility on Jurong Island; each plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 metric tons of that amino acid, bringing the company’s annual global capacity of DL-methionine to 730,000 metric tons.

DL-methionine is an essential amino acid; when added to poultry and pig feed, the crude protein content in the feed can be reduced, which reduces the impact on the environment, says the producer.

Evonik also produces MetAMINO at facilities in Antwerp, Belgium, Wesseling/Cologne in Germany, and in Alabama, US. The company said, relying on this production network, it supplies customers in more than 120 countries, which ensures a “structurally reliable supply of methionine on a global basis - regardless of geographic location.”

Anti-dumping investigations

Meanwhile, in April this year, China's Ministry of Commerce announced anti-dumping investigations concerning the import of the essential amino acid, methionine, from Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

The period under review in regards to the potential dumping of methionine is 2018. However, the Chinese officials said they would also determine whether its domestic industry suffered losses in 2016 to 2018.

The probe was set to last 12 months. However, according to reports in local media at the time, it could be extended to October 2020 if needed.

The investigation reportedly follows a complaint from Ningxia Unisplendour Tianhua Methionine Co Ltd., a leading manufacturer of solid DL-Methionine in China, according to an official statement cited by Chinese media.

Evonik said, at the time, that it fully supports the inquiry by the Chinese authorities and that it will provide the competent bodies with all the necessary information and data.