German chemicals logistics service provider Talke (Hürth; www.talke.com) has signed a 10-year contract with ExxonMobil Chemical (Houston, Texas / USA; www.exxonmobilchemical.com) for the export logistics infrastructure needed for the latter’s new PE facilities in Houston. The contract marks the German group’s first entry into the US market and thus constitutes “a significant milestone,” Talke managing director Alfred Talke said.

The German company will be responsible for packaging and transporting the polyethylene produced by ExxonMobil’s production site in Mont Belvieu, due for start-up in 2017. A look at Plasteurope.com’s Polyglobe capacity database (www.polyglobe.net) shows that the company plans to bring on stream a 1.5m t/y ethylene cracker as well as 1.3m t/y in downstream PE capacities at the site next year. Talke will be handling the logistics exports abroad – via Houston port – and also via rail.

The contract will create more than 200 jobs at the German logistics provider, and in addition to the logistics system also includes five “state-of-the-art” packaging lines, Talke said.

The Hürth-based company was recently awarded the logistics contract for Covestro’s (Leverkusen / Germany; www.covestro.com) production site in Dormagen / Germany (see Plasteurope.com of 30.09.2016). The two latest deals follow the company’s decision to geographically optimise its portfolio, as a result of which it sold its Belgian and Dutch logistics activities to Katoen Natie earlier this year (see Plasteurope.com of 09.08.2016).