This decision follows a recent announcement by Ashland’s joint venture with Süd-Chemie – Ashland-Avèbéne – to close a facility where Modar resins were being manufactured for the European market. The closure takes place at the end of July.
Ashland says additional Modar resin inventories are being manufactured and will be available to adequately supply customer demand during the transition period. It expects the transfer of production in-house to be completed by this autumn.
Modar resins are used primarily in the mass transit and rail industries. The resins are available in a variety of formulations for optimum performance in composites processes including contact moulding, filament winding, pultrusion and infusion.
“This decision strengthens our ability to supply Modar resin products to the EMEA markets,” said Stefan Osterwind, Commercial Director, Europe, Ashland Performance Materials. “With the transition of production in-house, we will now have even greater oversight of quality control processes and service levels provided to our customers."
Ashland Performance Materials, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc, Covington, Kentucky, USA, produces unsaturated polyester resins and epoxy vinyl ester resins, and also provides gel-coats, adhesives, and metal casting consumables and design services.