Colour concentrates and additives manufacturer Ampacet Europe (Luxembourg; www.ampacet.com) has opened a new European headquarters for the EMEA region in Dudelange, Luxembourg. The hub, which includes expanded production output, also features a new “European Innovation Centre”.

With EUR 25m invested during the course of 2011-2012, Ampacet built a new production line designed to raise its output of black and white masterbatches. The money represents a 60% capacity increase over existing output in Europe, the company said, adding that the new site can be further expanded to double the initially installed capacity. Once all works have been completed, personnel at the new Dudelange facility will rise from the existing 75 to 125 employees.

Ampacet said it chose to expand its facility in Luxembourg because of its proximity to the European market, including the region’s largest masterbatch markets, Italy and Germany, which account for 35% of overall European demand. Europe’s third largest consumer, Ampacet said, is the Benelux region (accounting for 14% of demand), followed by France (12%) and the UK (10%).

Ampacet has a global workforce of 1,650 employees, spread across 20 different masterbatch production sites as well as four large R&D centres. The group can turn out more than 400,000 t/y of masterbatches, it says.