Trinseo shuts down MMA production in Italy — what changed and why it matters
Author: Felix Adam
Trinseo will permanently stop making methyl methacrylate (MMA) at its Rho site near Milan. It will also shut its acetone cyanohydrin (ACH) unit at Porto Marghera near Venice. ACH is a feedstock used to make MMA. Trinseo says it will buy MMA from other producers to keep serving its customers and to lower costs. The company also suspended its dividend as part of this plan.
At a glance
- What’s closing: MMA at Rho and ACH at Porto Marghera.
- What stays: PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) operations at Rho, plus a PMMA depolymerization unit that makes regenerated MMA from acrylic waste.
- Volume removed: Rho’s MMA nameplate is about 90,000 tons per year; some trade coverage lists 100,000 tons per year.
What exactly is changing?
In simple terms, Trinseo is exiting in-house MMA production in Italy. The firm will no longer make MMA at Rho and will no longer produce ACH at Porto Marghera. Instead, it will source MMA from third parties and continue running its PMMA lines in Rho. MMA is the main monomer used to make PMMA (often called “acrylic”). ACH is an upstream material used in one of the standard MMA routes.
The Rho depolymerization facility, started in 2024, remains in place. It takes waste PMMA and turns it back into regenerated MMA that can be used again. This helps Trinseo offer acrylics with recycled content while it buys additional MMA on the open market.
How much supply leaves the market?
Most independent references list Rho at ~90,000 tons per year of MMA capacity. Some reports round it to 100,000 tons per year. Either way, this is a large European volume coming off the market. If you spread 90,000 t/y across the calendar, that’s roughly 7,500 tons per month of local MMA that will no longer be produced in Italy.
Why Trinseo is doing this
The company frames the move as a European cost-reduction step and says buying MMA will “ensure continuity of supply” while improving its cost to make downstream products. Trinseo paired the closures with a dividend suspension, signaling a wider effort to strengthen its finances. Trade and market outlets echoed the cost-saving angle when covering the announcement.
What it means if you buy MMA or PMMA
- For MMA buyers: If you relied on Rho-origin MMA, you’ll need to re-source or accept third-party MMA via Trinseo. Expect some contract and lead-time updates as supply chains adjust.
- For PMMA buyers: Trinseo plans to keep PMMA supply running from Rho, using purchased MMA and regenerated MMA from its depolymerization unit. Specs should remain aligned, but it’s wise to confirm change-control rules and stabilizer packages if you’re in a regulated application.