Arkema will reportedly invest to further increase its fluoropolymer production capacities in Changshu by 35% in 2022. Simultaneously, the company says it is celebrating the first 10 years of successful PVDF production at the Changshu site in China.
The increase in capacity is scheduled to come on stream before the end of 2022. This new investment is reportedly fueled by strong demand in the lithium ion battery business and opportunities in the water filtration, construction coatings and semiconductor industries.
Built in the context of strong growth potential in Asia, and particularly in China, for the established coatings market and the rapidly emerging lithium ion battery and water-filtration markets, the Changshu plant was the company’s third global integrated PVDF production plant. Its first batch of Kynar PVDF was produced on February 17, 2011. The plant, known as Arkema’s “Tiger Plant,” as it was constructed in 2010, the year of the tiger, represented a major strategic step for Arkema in its commitment to supply global customers from each region, according to the company.
The plant was expanded several times over the decade, most recently in December 2020. Arkema says the plant has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to employee safety and product quality. It is reportedly a versatile, state-of–the-art facility capable of producing almost every grade in the fluoropolymers expansive portfolio.
For more information, visit: www.arkema.com