Thermoplastic compounds and adhesive resins producer The Compound Company (Enschede / The Netherlands; www.thecompoundcompany.com) is doubling its production capacity in Enschede to 60,000 t/y by upgrading its existing plant and building a new one. It said the EUR 8m project will raise production of its “EcoForte” thermoplastic performance compounds and “Yparex” extrudable adhesive resins, as well as increase capacity for its custom compounding partners.

Construction of the new 8,000 m² plant is scheduled to begin in December, with the compounding lines to be installed in February 2019 and full production beginning in April.

The existing plant will be upgraded, optimised and debottlenecked, including the installation of seven new silos for stocking polymers, each with a capacity of 70 t. “This will enable us to handle much more polymer in bulk rather than manually,” said Simon Put, managing director of The Compound Company.

Both the new and existing plants will feature common production lines to maximise flexibility and ensure that each plant can serve as a backup to the other plant. The company also said the number of employees will grow from 45 to 65.