Lanxess Completes Nylon & PBT Compounding Expansion
A second production line at Lanxess' North Carolina site doubles production capacity.
Lanxess, Pittsburgh, Penn., has started up production of a second compounding line at its Gastonia, N.C. site, an investment of around $15 million, doubling production capacity—from 44 million lb/yr to 88 million lb/yr--of nylon and PBT compounds targeted to automotive applications.
The compounding operation there involves the mixing and refining of basic nylon and PBT with specialty additives and glass fiber to client requirements. The result is the company’s high-performance Durethan nylon and Pocan PBT compounds which are primarily used in the automotive industry to manufacture lighter-weight plastics components that can replace metal parts. Lanxess expects global demand for engineering plastics in automotive applications to grow by 7%/yr within next five years. As a result, the company plans to further invest as much as up to $100 million for organic growth in its high-performance plastics business in the coming years.
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