Polymer additives producer Songwon Industrial (Ulsan / Korea; www.songwonind.com) plans to double the production capacity of its “Songnox” one pack systems (OPS) in Greiz / Germany to 14,000 t. The expansion, which follows the acquisition of Additives Technology Greiz (ATG; www.additive-technology-greiz.com) last year – see Plasteurope.com of 14.12.2011, is expected to come onstream by the middle of this year.

Jongho Park, Songwon’s chairman and CEO, said the expansion will be larger than previously announced. “We made a promise when we acquired ATG to extend the capacity of our Songnox OPS products up to 12,000 t. However, the reaction we have had from our customers has led us to commit additional investment such that we can now deliver an additional 7,000 t of product,” he explained. One pack systems combine several additives into an integrated, dust-free pellet form.

Songwon noted that its Songnox High Heat OPS range is suitable for automotive applications, where long service life and durability under harsh conditions are required. China’s fast growing automotive industry represents an excellent opportunity for these products, said Park.

Further capacities for Songnox OPS are expected to come onstream in late 2012 in the Middle East – see Plasteurope.com of 16.12.2011.