According to ICIS，Japan’s Sanyo Petrochemical, an affiliate of Asahi Kasei, will reduce operating rates at its 470,000 tonne/year cracker in Mizushima to around 85% next month, in line with the planned shutdown of its derivative styrene monomer (SM) unit in the same area. Asahi Kasei is expected to take its 390,000 tonne/year No 3 SM unit off line for a scheduled 40-day turnaround from 9 October. Sanyo’s cracker was running at an average rate of 90% this month due to some mechanical trouble in early September.