Ineos Phenol GmbH

What Ineos Phenol GmbH does

INEOS Phenol GmbH is a German chemical manufacturer, wholly owned by INEOS Group, that produces phenol, acetone, and alpha-methylstyrol for downstream industrial customers in automotive, electronics, plastics, renewable energy, and general manufacturing. The company operates five production sites — Gladbeck (Germany, headquarters and main plant), Marl (Germany, cumene feedstock via INEOS Cumene GmbH), Beveren/Antwerp (Belgium), Theodore and Pasadena (USA), and Singapore — with the Gladbeck facility rated at 650,000 tonnes per year and described as the world's largest single phenol plant. Phenol applications include automotive lighting, circuit boards, wind turbine blades, brake pads, and solvents; acetone feeds into PMMA (Plexiglas), polycarbonate, and solvents; alpha-methylstyrol is used in ABS plastics for household appliances and automotive components.

The underlying production technology is the cumene (isopropylbenzene) oxidation process, with cumene supplied via dedicated pipeline from Scholven and Marl, supplemented by ship deliveries through the Marl canal port. A new 750,000-tonne cumene plant at Marl began operations in March 2024, reaching a 1 million-tonne production milestone by September 2024 and supplying both Gladbeck and Antwerp. The Gladbeck process control system was fully modernized in January 2007, and operations have been continuously refined since the plant's 1954 commissioning.

Commercially, INEOS Phenol sells through direct B2B enterprise contracts to industrial accounts across global markets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and follows standard commodity chemical contract structures. On June 17, 2025, the company announced its intention to permanently close the Gladbeck plant due to uncompetitive European energy and CO2 costs versus Chinese imports and global oversupply — a defining event that frames the current investment profile of the business.

Name

Ineos Phenol GmbH

Legal name

INEOS Phenol GmbH

Website

https://ineosphenol-gladbeck.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INEOS Phenol GmbH is a German chemical manufacturer, wholly owned by INEOS Group, producing phenol, acetone, and alpha-methylstyrol at five global sites for industrial customers in automotive, electronics, plastics, and renewable energy applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Chemicals (Aromatic Chemicals / Petrochemicals)

NAICS

Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511), Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing (32519)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Base Aromatics (BTX: Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes) (IMAEADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Aromatics (BTX: Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes) (EUALAHAC)

Keywords

• Phenol production
• Acetone manufacturing
• Aromatic chemicals
• Cumene processing
• Chemical intermediates

Headquarters

HQ city

Gladbeck

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Phenol Sales: Sale of phenol to downstream manufacturers for production of automotive components (headlights, taillights), resins for circuit boards and wind turbine blades, brake pad resins, and solvents for manufacturing industries.
2. Acetone Sales: Sale of acetone as solvent for fats and as raw material for Plexiglas (PMMA) and polycarbonate production.
3. Alpha-Methylstyrol Sales: Sale of alpha-methylstyrol for ABS plastics production used in household appliance casings and automotive parts.
4. Cumene Production (Marl): Cumene production at Marl facility serving as essential raw material for phenol production at Gladbeck. New cumene plant with 750,000 t capacity under construction to supply both Gladbeck and Antwerp facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

INEOS Phenol GmbH manufactures and sells phenol, acetone, and alpha-methylstyrol — fundamental aromatic chemical building blocks — at its Gladbeck, Germany facility, the world's largest phenol plant with 650,000 tonnes/year capacity. The company uses the cumene (isopropylbenzene) oxidation process, with cumene feedstock supplied via pipeline from adjacent INEOS Cumene GmbH in Marl and from Scholven. Products are sold directly to downstream industrial manufacturers in automotive, electronics, plastics, and chemical processing sectors.

Product overview

INEOS Phenol GmbH operates as a chemical manufacturing company producing three primary chemical products: Phenol, Aceton (Acetone), and alpha-Methylstyrol. The production facility in Gladbeck, Germany, with a capacity of 650,000 tonnes per year, is one of the world's largest Phenol plants. Cumene serves as the raw material input, sourced via pipeline from nearby cumene suppliers in Scholven and Marl. The products are fundamental chemical building blocks: Phenol is used in pharmaceuticals (Aspirin), optics (CDs), automotive lighting, and plastics; Acetone serves as a solvent and feedstock for transparent plastics (Plexiglas, Polycarbonate); and alpha-Methylstyrol is used in ABS plastic production for appliances and automotive components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Phenol
• Acetone (Aceton)
• alpha-Methylstyrol

Quantifiable outcome

• World's largest phenol plant - 650,000 tonnes/year capacity at Gladbeck
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cumene Suppliers (Scholven and Marl)coreOthersCumene (isopropylbenzene) raw material supply via pipeline from nearby cumene producers in Scholven and Marl. Additional cumene quantities supplied through pipeline from Marl canal port receiving ships, connecting Gladbeck to international waterways. This logistical infrastructure is essential for continuous phenol and acetone production.
• INEOS Phenol Belgium N.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity operating Antwerp, Belgium phenol production facility. Operational since 1993, previously shut down for 2+ years before restart announced November 2024. Will be supplied with cumene from new Marl cumene plant.
• INEOS Cumene GmbH (Marl)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity at Marl facility producing cumene as essential raw material for phenol production at Gladbeck. New cumene plant with 750,000 t capacity under construction. March 2024: New plant began operations; September 2024: 1 million tonnes cumene milestone reached.
• INEOS Phenol Singapore Pte. Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity operating Singapore phenol production facility. Part of global INEOS Phenol network serving Asian markets.
• INEOS Phenol USA (Theodore and Pasadena)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entities operating Theodore, Alabama and Pasadena, Texas phenol production facilities. Part of Americas operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• SABIC: Saudi-diversified chemicals giant producing aromatics, olefins and downstream derivatives. Comparable as a globally integrated petrochemical producer with overlapping customer base in automotive and plastics.
• Mitsui Chemicals: Major Japanese chemical producer with phenol and acetone operations alongside a diversified petrochemicals and performance materials portfolio. Comparable as a global cumene-phenol operator.
• BASF: World's largest chemical company with broad petrochemicals, intermediates and performance chemicals portfolio. Comparable as a European integrated chemicals incumbent with overlapping industrial customers.
• LG Chem: South Korea's largest chemical company, with petrochemical intermediates including phenol and acetone serving electronics, automotive and plastics customers. Comparable scale player in Asian phenol markets.
• LyondellBasell Industries: Global polyolefins and petrochemicals major with phenol/acetone production via its intermediates business. Comparable as a large-scale operator of cumene-to-phenol assets serving similar downstream customers.
• Dow Inc. One of the world's largest diversified chemical producers with significant phenol/acetone output alongside a broad petrochemicals and plastics portfolio. Directly comparable as a large-scale petrochemical manufacturer serving overlapping industrial customers.

Direct peers

• Chang Chun Petrochemical: Taiwan-based petrochemicals manufacturer producing phenol, acetone and bisphenol-A. Direct Asian competitor with overlapping customer base in epoxy resins, polycarbonates and engineering plastics.
• Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation: Taiwanese integrated petrochemicals producer with cumene, phenol and acetone operations serving ABS, polycarbonate and engineering plastics markets. Direct competitor in Asian phenol supply chains.
• PTT Phenol Company: Thailand-based phenol/acetone producer jointly owned by PTT and三井 entities. Direct Asia-focused competitor in cumene-based phenol manufacturing serving regional downstream customers.
• CEPSA (Petróleos del Sur): Spanish integrated energy and chemicals company with phenol/acetone manufacturing at its Palos de la Frontera site. Closest direct European competitor to INEOS Phenol in cumene-based phenol production.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ineos-phenol-gmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Ineos Phenol GmbH