Evonik to Cease Amino Acid Production in Hungary

Evonik has revealed plans to stop its amino acid production at its Hungarian Kaba site by the end of April 2018. The facility is run by Evonik subsidiary, Evonik Agroferm Zrt, which currently employs about 120 people.

Evonik said the decision to cease production was prompted by “intense and increasing competition” in the market for the amino acid L-threonine, produced in Kaba under the ThreAMINO brand name. “Despite considerable and continual optimisations, it is no longer possible for Evonik to maintain economic production in Kaba over the long term. Therefore, we have decided to stop production in Kaba which is in line with our strategy to secure a leading position for our amino acid business,” said Dr. Emmanuel Auer, head of Evonik’s animal nutrition business line.

The company said it had explored other alternatives before taking the decision to shut down the unit. “The further use of the site will be explored and decided on in close cooperation with the Hungarian authorities after production has stopped,” it added.

ThreAMINO is added to animal feed to ensure an optimally balanced supply of amino acids.