July 24, 2026 15:50

RadiciGroup recently informed trade unions of a restructuring plan for its plant in Novara, northern Italy.
Operated by Radici Chimica, the site is dedicated to the vertically integrated production of polyamide 66, which underpins the group’s compounding operations.

The plan calls for the shutdown of the plants producing adipic acid, one of the two monomers used to manufacture polyamide 66, as well as nitric acid and MAB. The closures could affect 140 jobs out of a total workforce of almost 300.

The company said the Novara facility has posted significant losses for three consecutive years and is facing strong competition from Asia. It is also contending with high energy and raw material costs, alongside prolonged, structural weakness in demand from the automotive, textile and construction sectors.

Together with Germany’s Lanxess, Radici Chimica also filed the complaint that led the European Commission to impose anti-dumping duties on adipic acid imported from China (read article).

Against this backdrop, the group believes there is no viable path to restoring the profitability of adipic acid production in Novara. “The most responsible course of action is not to prolong the operation of a heavily loss-making production unit, subject to Seveso regulations and located in close proximity to a major urban centre, but rather to focus efforts on the future of the site and the people involved.”

Chemical industry unions are awaiting the social plan that the company has pledged to present by 14 September, “setting out the measures to be implemented, both to safeguard jobs and to support the management of redundancies.”

RadiciGroup’s basic chemicals and engineering plastics operations were acquired this year by investment firm Lone Star Funds, together with the Domo Engineered Materials division of Belgium’s DOMO Group (read article).

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