Although two PVC plants have restarted in April, Japan’s Shin-Etsu and South Korea’s Hanwha are preparing for shutdowns that will last for 1 month at their plants in mid-May.
As for VCM, there are more shutdowns planned for the May-June period as South Korea’s Hanwha and Japan’s Kashima Vinyl and Tosoh are scheduled to be shut for maintenance. Spot VCM prices have risen constantly since the beginning of the year with support from the ongoing supply limitations.