AkzoNobel increases organic peroxide capacity for North American specialty chemicals market
AkzoNobel's specialty chemicals business has taken another significant step in cementing its industry leadership in organic peroxides with the completion of an expansion project at its polymer chemistry production facility in Los Reyes, Mexico.
The investment will increase the company's peroxyester capacity in North America by 40%, substantially increasing the supply of essential ingredients for customers in the polymer industry.
"We are seeing increasing demand from our customers in North America and this expansion allows us to maintain our leading position as a reliable supplier of organic peroxides," explained Johan Landfors, Managing Director of AkzoNobel's Polymer Chemistry business and the company's North American regional head.
Peroxyesters, also known as peresters, are mostly used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low density polyethylene (LDPE), acrylics, styrenics and other thermoplastics. AkzoNobel offers the world's largest range of peresters under the well-known Trigonox trademark.
Since 2015, AkzoNobel has invested more than €85 million in upgrading technologies to better serve its customers in the polymer industry, increasing capacity and repositioning its global manufacturing footprint at existing sites in Mexico, the Netherlands, Belgium, China, Italy, Brazil and the US.
"This has been a major project which adds further momentum to our strategy to expand in our key markets," added Thierry Vanlancker, AkzoNobel's Executive Committee member responsible for Specialty Chemicals. "We will continue to focus on operational excellence to provide reliable supplies and accommodate the growth of our customers."
In January this year, AkzoNobel completed another €22 million expansion project at the Los Reyes plant to increase production capacity. The site has been operational since 1970 and has experienced substantial growth. Los Reyes is also the headquarters for AkzoNobel's Specialty Chemicals business in Mexico, employing more than 230 people. Overall, the company has more than 500 employees in Mexico across three production sites.
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