The business was faced with challenging economic and market conditions in 2012, which severely impacted profitability. Revenue was up 2 percent, mainly due to favorable currencies, with volumes at par. Margins were impacted by the continuing price erosion in markets for ethylene amines as a result of overcapacity. Demand was also impacted in most other segments, especially in the polymer industry and the construction-related segments, notably towards the second half of the year and specifically in Europe.
Q4 revenue was on a par with last year, with lower volumes due mainly to weak demand in Europe.