Butachimie

What Butachimie does

Butachimie is a French chemical manufacturing joint-venture that produces Adiponitrile (ADN) and Hexamethylenediamine (HMD), the two key intermediates in the nylon 6.6 chemical chain. Founded in 1974 by Du Pont de Nemours and Rhône-Poulenc, the company operates a single integrated production platform at Chalampé, Alsace (Route Départementale 52, 68490 Chalampé), spanning 125 hectares at the France–Germany–Switzerland border. Since January 2020, ownership has been split 50/50 between INVISTA and BASF (which replaced Solvay), following the 2014 renewal of the joint-venture for 99 years. Butachimie is the world's largest ADN producer, accounting for approximately 30% of global output.

The company's core technology is INVISTA's proprietary butadiene-based ADN process, upgraded in 2019 under the €250M+ Atlas Event project to its latest generation, which reduces energy consumption, increases reliability, and enables a roughly 20% capacity uplift. HMD is produced on-site by adding hydrogen to ADN, primarily using BASF personnel on Butachimie's installations. Butachimie also runs a digitalization program (MIRe) for process optimization and invests approximately €20M per year in R&D. The platform is ISO 9001, 14001, and 50001 certified.

Commercially, Butachimie operates a fully captive B2B model: 100% of ADN production is sold exclusively to its two shareholders, BASF and INVISTA, who are also its only customers. Downstream demand ultimately serves the automotive, textile, plastics, construction, and consumer goods industries via nylon 6.6 polymers. The company reports approximately 400 direct employees (collaborateurs) but mobilizes over 2,500 workers during triennial major maintenance shutdowns. Headquartered in Ottmarsheim and registered as a Société en nom collectif with €191,798,000 in share capital, Butachimie is a private entity with no external institutional or PE shareholders and no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Butachimie

Legal name

Butachimie

Website

https://butachimie.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Butachimie is a 50/50 INVISTA–BASF joint venture that operates the world's largest single-site Adiponitrile plant in Chalampé, France, producing 30% of global ADN and HMD for nylon 6.6 intermediates, sold exclusively to its two shareholders for downstream automotive, textile, plastics, construction, and consumer goods markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottmarsheim

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Adiponitrile (ADN) Sales: B2B manufacturing and exclusive sales of Adiponitrile to joint venture shareholders BASF and INVISTA. Production of ADN is the core revenue-generating activity.
2. Hexamethylènediamine (HMD) Production: HMD is produced by adding Hydrogen to Adiponitrile. Production of HMD is handled by BASF personnel on Butachimie's installations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Butachimie manufactures Adiponitrile (ADN) and Hexamethylènediamine (HMD), the two core chemical intermediates required for the production of nylon 6.6. Operating the world's largest ADN production site at Chalampé, France (30% of global output), the company produces these intermediates via continuous chemical processes and sells them exclusively to its joint-venture shareholders, BASF and INVISTA.

Product overview

Butachimie is a chemical manufacturing joint venture between Invista and BASF that operates as a single unified production platform. The company produces two core chemical intermediates - Adiponitrile (ADN) and Hexamethylènediamine (HMD) - which together form the essential building blocks for Nylon 6.6. As the world's largest Adiponitrile producer (30% of global production), the company serves industries including automotive, textiles, construction, and consumer goods through its integrated manufacturing operations at the Chalampé site in Alsace, France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adiponitrile (ADN) Adiponitrile is a translucent white liquid that is a key intermediate in the nylon 6.6 chemical chain. Butachimie is the world's largest manufacturer, producing 30% of global output at its Chalampé site in Alsace, sold exclusively to joint-venture shareholders BASF and INVISTA.
• Hexamethylènediamine (HMD) Hexamethylènediamine is a white solid obtained by adding hydrogen to Adiponitrile. It is transformed into specialty polymers or nylon salt to produce nylon 6.6 and its downstream applications. Production is handled by BASF personnel on Butachimie's installations at Chalampé.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% of global Adiponitrile production capacity
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mulhouse Alsace AgglomérationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2022Butachimie participates in the Blue Industries Sud Alsace project in partnership with Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération. The project focuses on decarbonated hydrogen production, water economy, and decarbonation initiatives.
• BASFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASF became a co-shareholder (50%) of Butachimie in January 2020, alongside INVISTA. BASF receives exclusive supply of Adiponitrile production and is involved in joint decision-making for major investments and strategic direction of the joint venture.
• INVISTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINVISTA is a 50% co-shareholder of Butachimie and the exclusive technology provider for Adiponitrile manufacturing. The Atlas Event project installed INVISTA's latest-generation ADN technology at the Chalampé site in 2019, enabling increased capacity and improved environmental performance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Domo Chemicals: European integrated nylon 6.6 producer (DOMAMID, ECONAMID) with upstream intermediates capacity in Italy, France, and Germany. Closely comparable to Butachimie in geographic footprint and downstream nylon 6.6 positioning, though focused further downstream.
• Ascend Performance Materials: The largest fully integrated US producer of nylon 6.6 intermediates (ADN, HMD, hexamethylenediamine, adipic acid) and polymers, serving automotive, textile, and industrial fiber customers. Direct head-to-head competitor with Butachimie in the global ADN merchant and captive supply market.
• RadiciGroup: Italian-headquartered integrated producer of nylon 6 and 6.6 intermediates, polymers, and textile/industrial fibers. Comparable European specialty chemicals peer overlapping with Butachimie's nylon 6.6 chemistry and downstream applications.

Broad incumbents

• Solvay: Former 50% joint-venture shareholder of Butachimie (replaced by BASF in January 2020) and co-investor in the Atlas Event project. A broad European specialty chemicals incumbent with historical and adjacent involvement in the nylon 6.6 intermediates chain.
• INVISTA: 50% joint-venture shareholder of Butachimie and the licensor of its ADN technology; INVISTA itself operates large ADN and nylon 6.6 assets in the United States (Orange, Texas). Comparable as both a partner and a global incumbent in the same chemistry.
• LANXESS: German specialty chemicals group with significant polyamide intermediates and engineering plastics exposure (Durethan, Pocan). Comparable as a broad incumbent in European specialty chemicals overlapping Butachimie's downstream value chain.
• BASF: 50% joint-venture shareholder of Butachimie and one of its exclusive customers. BASF also produces ADN, HMD, and downstream nylon 6.6 across its integrated Ludwigshafen and Seal Sands sites, making it both a partner and a broad incumbent in the same petrochemical value chain.

Regional players

• Asahi Kasei: Major Japanese integrated chemical producer with nylon 6.6 intermediates (ADN, HMD) and polymer capacity, primarily serving Asian automotive and electronics customers. Comparable as a regional player in the same chemistry but with limited direct overlap in Europe.
• UBE Industries: Japanese chemical company producing nylon intermediates (including butadiene-based ADN) and downstream polymers. Comparable as a regional producer in the same nylon 6.6 chemistry value chain, primarily serving Asian markets.

Emerging players

• Huafon Group: Chinese integrated producer of adipic acid, nylon 66 salt, and downstream polyamide resins/fibers, with rapid capacity expansion. Comparable as an emerging, low-cost player in the same nylon 6.6 intermediates value chain, primarily serving domestic Chinese demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/butachimie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/butachimie
• Xx.com/butachimie

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Butachimie