International. The explosion of the pesticide plant at the Xiangshui Chemical Industrial Park in Chenjiagang in China last March is the cause of the restriction on the supply of several important chemicals, including the indispensable raw material for paints, coatings and printing inks.
The British Coatings Federation (BCF) warns that this restriction has generated a "serious shortage of key components" such as preservatives for water-based paints, photoinitiators for UV inks and certain red and yellow pigments, and says that "it is not known when closed factories will be able to reopen and what their capacity will be to (offer) these raw materials in the near future."
"While we have great sympathy for all those affected by the disaster, the situation in China may have a long-term impact on our sector and the ability of our members to supply paints, coatings and finished ink products to customers due to the unavailability of various critical raw materials," says BCF CEO Tom Bowtell. "We are monitoring the situation," he says.
An explosion and fire on March 21, which caused nearly 80 deaths and injuries to hundreds of people, spread to nearby facilities and prompted a mass evacuation. The Chinese government has forced the closure of factories in the industrial park, as well as others nearby, to allow for investigations and safety inspections.
Source: British Coatings Federation.
