Koppers to end phthalic anhydride production at Stickney plant in 2025
On December 5, 2024, subsidiary Koppers Inc. decided to discontinue phthalic anhydride production at its Stickney, Illinois facility, affecting approximately 25 employees, with a shutdown targeted for mid-2025. The company expects pre-tax charges of $51 million to $55 million through the end of 2026, which will reduce earnings, while the Stickney coal tar distillation operations continue and the company says the action lowers capital spending needs and emissions.
Key points
- Phthalic anhydride production at Stickney, Illinois to be discontinued; shutdown targeted for mid-2025 with production ramped down over the next six months.
- Approximately 25 employees affected; retention and severance costs estimated at about $1 million.
- Pre-tax charges of $51 million to $55 million through end of 2026, including about $28 million non-cash and $23 million to $27 million cash.
- Coal tar distillation at Stickney is not affected; 2025 goals of $300 million adjusted EBITDA and $65 million to $75 million capital expenditures incorporate the savings.
The filing
Written by AI (Anthropic Claude, claude-haiku-5-5) on Nov 8, 2026, 2:07 AM ET, from the text of the filing and its press-release exhibits only. Written later: this filing was briefed after the fact, when past filings were added to the site, so the brief may be read with hindsight; the filing itself is the record of what was known on December 05, 2024.
Briefs are written by AI from the filing text (each brief's own page names the model) and can contain mistakes — open the filing before acting on anything. Impact (1-5) and tone are the model's reading of the filing for shareholders, not a price forecast. Not investment advice.