DATE : 2014-12-04

 

Solvay said today that it is increasing its ultra-high performance polymers capacity at the Panoli, India plant by 25% to support strong demand for KetaSpire and AvaSpire, the company’s polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyaryletherketone (PAEK) polymers, respectively. “Thanks to their outstanding qualities of strength, toughness, excellent friction and wear properties, heat and chemical resistance, Solvay's KetaSpire and AvaSpire are used in markets growing at least 8-10% annually,” the company says. In transportation, these ultra-polymers replace metals and help make cars and planes lighter thereby reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Other key markets include healthcare, electronics and energy. Expansion of the polyaryletherketone resin, used as a base to make KetaSpire PEEK and AvaSpire PAEK, is already underway to reach more than 1,000 m.t./year capacity in the third quarter of 2015.

Solvay completed a 70% increase at the plant in the first half of 2013 and is now adding the extra 25%. "Demand for KetaSpire and AvaSpire resins has been growing significantly thanks to Solvay's ability to deliver innovative and tailored solutions in close relations with its customers," said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, president of Solvay/specialty polymers. "Today's announcement to debottleneck capacity shows we are determined to keep pace with this growing demand worldwide and with our customers' creativity in leveraging the features of our innovative materials."

 

SOURCE Chemweek Chemical Daily