MOSCOW (MRC) -- Life sciences and material sciences company Royal DSM has confirmed that the polymerisation plant it announced earlier this year will be built in Augusta, Georgia, and will manufacture high viscous Akulon polyamide 6 polymer for film grades used in flexible food packaging and other segments, as per Plastics in Packaging.
The US plant will be built next to DSM Engineering Plastics' existing facility, which currently makes medium viscous grades of Akulon and Novamid polyamide 6 polymers for a wide variety of industries.
"DSM Engineering Plastics’ decision to locate its newest plant in Georgia speaks to our position as a global leader in the advanced manufacturing industry," said Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Richard Pieters, president of DSM Engineering Plastics Americas, said: "The Augusta location will offer all logistic modalities to our customers in the Americas and leverage the scale of our existing polymer operations."
The plant will be DSM’s first polymerisation plant for high viscosity grades in North America for Akulon polyamide 6s. In addition to Akulon and Novamid 6 and 6,66 polyamides, DSM serves customers with a range of specialty high performance engineering plastics including Arnitel TPC copolyester, Arnite PBT and PET polyesters, Stanyl high performance polyamide 46 and 4T, and our bio-based engineering plastics EcoPaXX polyamide 410 and Arnitel Eco copolyester.
Construction of the plant is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2015 with completion targeted for mid-2016.
As MRC reported earlier, last October, Royal DSM signed a partnership agreement with long fibre thermoplastic (LFT) specialist Plasticomp (Winona, Minnesota / USA) to develop bio-based LFT composite materials based on DSM’s "EcoPaXX" polyamide 4.10. The lightweight materials, which include compounds reinforced with glass fiber as well as carbon fiber, will be targeted at automotive and other performance-driven markets.
Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials.
MRC