New plant for compounds of Amodel® polyphthalamide (PPA), Ixef® polyarylamide (PARA) and Kalix® (modified PARA)

July, 18, 2012 - Solvay announced today that its specialty polymers compounding plant located in Changshu, province of Jiangsu in China, has started to serve the local growing demand for specialty polymers compounds. The plant is mainly serving China's customers in the electronics, automotive, consumer and industrial applications markets with compounds of Amodel® polyphthalamide (PPA), Ixef® polyarylamide (PARA) and Kalix® (modified PARA).

This plant required an investment of EUR 21 million and is fully adaptable for future expansion of overall capacity as well as production of compounds made out of other high performance polymers. It is adjacent to another specialty polymers plant which is currently under construction for the production of SOLEF® Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), TECNOFLON® Fluoroelastomers (FKM) and their essential monomer VF2.

“The start-up of our compounding plant in Changshu is an important step in the development plan of Solvay's growing industrial base in China where the Group is committed to increase its customer base. Sales of Specialty Polymers in Asia have already increased to over 30% of total sales and we see this trend continuing,” comments Augusto di Donfrancesco, General Manager of the Global Business Unit Specialty Polymers.

SOLVAY is an international chemical Group committed to sustainable development with a clear focus on innovation and operational excellence. It is realizing over 90% of its sales in markets where it is among the top 3 global leaders. Solvay offers a broad range of products that contribute to the performance of its customers in markets such as consumer goods, construction, automotive, energy, water and environment, and electronics. The Group is headquartered in Brussels, employs about 31,000 people in 55 countries and generated EUR 12.7 billion in net sales in 2011 (pro forma).

Source: Solvay