Roche Vitamins is to close its Nutley, New Jersey-based vitamin E production facility ahead of schedule, to ease pressure from current weak vitamin prices.
The plant, which is the only one producing vitamin E in the United States, was slated for closure in the middle of next year to coincide with the opening of a new vitamin E facility in Sisseln, Switzerland. However the firm has announced it will now close by the end of November this year.
"Unfortunately, the plant is old and not sufficiently competitive. That, coupled with the current state of depressed vitamin prices, makes it impossible for us to continue vitamin E production here for another year," said Roche Vitamins president Chris Goppelsroeder.
"We understand that the loss of this facility's yearly production capacity of 7,000 metric tons, could have a short term negative impact on the supply of vitamin E. However, we are looking forward to the opening of our new plant, where construction is progressing well," continued Goppelsroeder.
With a capacity of 25,000 metric tons, the Sisseln plant will become the largest vitamin E production facility in the world. It is on track to become operational in the second half of 2004.
Roche Vitamins, the world's number one vitamin manufacturer, was recently bought by Dutch group DSM. It also produces carotenoids, LC-PUFAs and other nutraceuticals.