May 20 2008
Saflex(r), a unit of Solutia Inc., will break ground today for an expansion of its PVB resin manufacturing operations at its plant in Springfield, Mass., USA. The expansion will add 12,000 metric tons of annual capacity, which is planned to come on-stream in early 2009.
"This project marks another major step in Solutia's global investment program for Saflex," said Luc De Temmerman, senior vice president of Solutia Inc. and president of the Saflex business. "Despite significant increases in raw material costs, we are continuing to make the investments necessary to help our customers grow their businesses. This expansion, as well as the other previously announced expansions we are making throughout our global asset base, will help meet increasing demand for PVB, and is necessitated by the tight supply conditions in the PVB market."
Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) resin is the key raw material used in making PVB sheet, which Solutia markets under the Saflex brand name. The resin expansion will help feed the plant's Saflex PVB sheet manufacturing operations, which have increased their collective output by approximately 50 percent over the past few years. The Springfield plant was the industry pioneer in the development and production of plastic interlayers for laminated glass, which it began more than 80 years ago. Today it hosts Solutia's largest Saflex manufacturing site in North America, playing a critical role in serving Saflex customers around the world. The Springfield plant also is home to the Technical Center for Solutia's Saflex and Specialty Fluids businesses.
In addition to the PVB resin expansion project in Springfield, Saflex announced earlier this month that it will expand its PVB resin manufacturing facilities in Antwerp, Belgium, adding 15,000 metric tons of annual capacity that is planned to come on-stream in 2010. The additional resin capacity at Antwerp will feed the new Saflex PVB sheet extrusion line in Ghent, Belgium, which will start up later in 2008 and will create 40 million square meters of new capacity once it ramps up to full production.
In addition to the Springfield, Antwerp, and Ghent projects noted above, Solutia has recently constructed a new Saflex PVB sheet production facility in Suzhou, China, and added capability at its Saflex PVB sheet production facility in Santo Toribio, Mexico.
Posted May 19th,2008