Chemicals company Sabic has announced projects in Asia and the Netherlands to increase global capacity for two of its engineering thermoplastic materials, Ultem and Noryl resins.
To increase capacity for Ultem resins, a polyetherimide material, the company plans to expand its existing footprint in Singapore where it currently has compounding operations, pending final government clearance. The planned new production facility in Singapore is expected to go online in the first half of 2021. When fully operational, the Singapore facility is expected to increase capacity by 50% over a 2018 baseline.
The company also plans to recommission operations at its Bergen op Zoom PPE resin plant in the Netherlands by the end of 2019 to produce polyphenylene ether (PPE), the base resin for its line of Noryl resins and oligomers. When operational, the Bergen op Zoom facility is expected to add more than 40% global capacity over a 2017 baseline. ‘Increased customer demand, especially in Asia, prompted the further capacity expansion plans,’ said Ernesto Occhiello, executive vice president. ‘While interim capacity gains for both Ultem and Noryl resins have been achieved, global demand for both product lines has increased significantly.’
This story is reprinted from material from Sabic, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
