MOSCOW (MRC) -- Trinseo, a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, has announced to expand capacity for Sprintan solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) at its synthetic rubber manufacturing complex in in Schkopau, Germany, as per GV.
The capacity increase is a response to rising customer demand, said the company. The asset upgrade at the company’s facility will add 50 kt of S-SBR capacity, increasing its global S-SBR production by 33 %. This additional capacity is expected to be online in January 2018.
"This investment is in line with Trinseo’s strategy to grow our Performance Materials businesses, in particular our S-SBR business, which has seen very strong market demand," said Hayati Yarkadas, Senior Vice President and Business President, Performance Materials. "This expansion in Schkopau is the fastest solution to meet our customers’ growing demand for our Sprintan Rubber products, as well as next generation development grades of advanced S-SBR."
Sprintan S-SBR rubber grades are said to provide low rolling resistance as well as wet grip and durability. As CO2 emissions regulations and tire labeling requirements continue to expand beyond the EU to other regions, there is a strong drive in the automotive industry towards energy efficient tires, Trinseo said.
As MRC reported earlier, Trinseo and its affiliate companies in Europe increased prices for all polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile styrene copolymer (SAN) grades in November. Effective as of 1 November, or as existing contract terms allow, the November contract and spot prices for the product listed below rose for Europe as follows:
- STYRON general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) - by EUR50/tonne;
- MAGNUM ABS resins - by EUR50/tonne;
- TYRIL SAN resins - by EUR45/tonne.
Trinseo is a global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber. Trinseo's technology is used by customers in industries such as home appliances, automotive, building & construction, carpet, consumer electronics, consumer goods, electrical & lighting, medical, packaging, paper & paperboard, rubber goods and tires. Formerly known as Styron, Trinseo completed its renaming process in 1Q 2015. Trinseo had approximately USD4.0 billion in revenue in 2015, with 18 manufacturing sites around the world, and more than 2,200 employees.
MRC