After some delay, German chemical company Röhm (Darmstadt; www.roehm.com) has commissioned the expansion of the plant for impact-resistant polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) moulding compounds at its largest production site worldwide in Worms, Germany. With the capacity expansion, “we are further expanding our market leadership in Europe”, said COO Hans-Peter Hauck at the official opening. The plan is for the additional volume to be sold to customers primarily in the automotive industry.

The plant was originally due to start up a few months ago, but a fire at the end of last year delayed completion further and further. The company did not provide any information on the amount of investment or the specific capacity. Siamak Djafarian, head of the Moulding Compounds division, merely said that the CO₂ footprint had been significantly reduced thanks to a more energy-efficient production process. According to Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), PMMA capacities in Worms have so far totalled 200,000 t/y.

In October 2023, Röhm put the production expansion for MMA into operation at its site in Shanghai, China. According to the local environmental authority, 127,000 t/y are now produced there. At the same time, another line for PMMA moulding compounds with a capacity of 20,000 t/y was added. According to Polyglobe, the previous capacities there were 112,000 t/y of MMA and 40,000 t/y of PMMA.