In early 2018, Evonik Industries AG (Essen, Germany; www.evonik.com) will begin construction of an additional line for compounding its ACRYLITE trademarked polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) at its site in Osceola, Arkansas (USA). The expansion will nearly double the production capacity of the Methacrylates Business Line for the specialty molding compounds produced there. Completion and startup of the new compounding line is scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.
“Expanding the compounding capacity in Osceola is the next logical step in our efforts to implement our global strategy for specialty molding compounds,” explains Siamak Djafarian, who heads the Molding Compounds Product Line within Evonik’s Performance Materials Segment. “We are the only PMMA manufacturer in the world that has fully integrated MMA/PMMA production networks with downstream compounding in the Americas, Europe, and Asia,” he goes on to say. Evonik now intends to build on that strength so that it can offer locally produced specialty molding compound products in each of the three regions.
“The expansion is a response to increasing demand for ACRYLITE,” adds Jack Chenault, the head of the Americas region for the Performance Materials Segment. “Demand is on the rise in the US and in the growing Mexican and South American markets, especially for construction, lighting, and automotive applications that require a sophisticated level of quality.”