Roche To Close Vitamin E Production Plant Early

Roche Vitamins, Parsippany, NJ, will close its vitamin E production facility in Nutley, NJ, by the end of November. The plant, which is the only one producing vitamin E in the U.S., was originally slated for closure in the middle of next year. According to the company, the initial plan was to phase out production from the Nutley facility during the middle of 2004 to coincide with the opening of a state-of-the-art vitamin E production site in Sisseln, Switzerland. However, the company said the plant is old and therefore not competitive. That, coupled with the current state of depressed vitamin prices, contributed to the decision not to continue vitamin E production there for another year. Construction of the new plant is progressing and will become operational in the second half of 2004. At that time, the Sisseln plant, with its 25,000 metric ton capacity, will become the largest vitamin E production facility in the world.