Plant Closures and Divestitures

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Discontinued Operations And Disposal Groups [Abstract]

Plant Closures and Divestitures

3. Plant Closures and Divestitures

Over the past six years, we have been restructuring our Carbon Materials and Chemicals (“CMC”) segment in order to concentrate our facilities in regions where we believe we hold key competitive advantages to better serve our global customers. These closure activities include:

• In February 2020, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell Koppers (Jiangsu) Carbon Chemical Company Limited (“KJCC”) to Fangda Carbon New Material Co., Ltd and C-Chem Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Nippon Steel Chemical & Material Co., Ltd. Refer to “Note 4 – Discontinued Operations” for more details.

• The cessation of naphthalene refining activities at our Follansbee, West Virginia coal tar distillation facility in the fourth quarter of 2018 subsequent to the commissioning of a new naphthalene refining plant in Stickney, Illinois. In August 2019, we ceased remaining production activities at the plant.

• In September 2018, we sold our UK-based specialty chemicals business

• In November 2016, we sold our 30-percent interest in Tangshan Kailuan Koppers Carbon Chemical Company Limited (“TKK”) located in the Hebei Province in China.

• In July 2016, we discontinued coal tar distillation activities at our CMC plant located in Clairton, Pennsylvania. In October 2018, we sold the facility and as part of the transaction, we transferred cash to the buyer and the buyer assumed decommissioning, demolition and site restoration responsibilities.

• In March 2016, we discontinued production at our 60-percent owned CMC plant located in Tangshan, China.

• In February 2016, we ceased coal tar distillation and specialty pitch operations at both of our United Kingdom CMC facilities. In July 2016, we sold substantially all of our CMC tar distillation properties and assets in the United Kingdom.

• In April 2014, we ceased coal tar distillation activities at our CMC facility located in Uithoorn, the Netherlands.

Other closure and divestiture activity relates to our Railroad Utility Products and Services (“RUPS”) segment. These activities include:

• In August 2019, we sold our utility pole treatment plant located in Blackstone, Virginia.

• In August 2015, we closed a crosstie treating plant located in Green Spring, West Virginia.

• In July 2015, we sold the assets of our 50 percent interest in KSA Limited Partnership, a concrete crosstie manufacturer.

In addition, in 2011, we ceased carbon black production at our CMC facility located in Kurnell, Australia. Costs associated with this closure are included in (loss) income from discontinued operations on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive (loss) income.

Details of the restructuring activities and related reserves are as follows:

	Severance and employee benefits			Asset Retirement			Other			Total
(Dollars in millions)
Reserve at December 31, 2018	$	1.7		$	3.6		$	2.8		$	8.1
Accrual		0.0			3.4			3.0			6.4
Cost charged against assets		0.0			0.0			(3.0	)		(3.0	)
Reversal of accrued charges		(0.3	)		(0.1	)		0.0			(0.4	)
Cash paid		(0.5	)		(6.2	)		(0.3	)		(7.0	)
Currency translation		0.0			0.0			(0.1	)		(0.1	)
Reserve at December 31, 2019	$	0.9		$	0.7		$	2.4		$	4.0
Reversal of accrued charges		(0.2	)		0.0			0.0			(0.2	)
Reserve at March 31, 2020	$	0.7		$	0.7		$	2.4		$	3.8