After temporarily putting the project on ice, US polymer and fibre manufacturer Invista (Wichita, Kansas; www.invista.com) has announced that it is moving forward with plans to establish a manufacturing plant in China’s Shanghai Chemical Industry Park to meet regional demand for nylon 6.6 intermediates and polymer.

Originally announced in late 2006 – see Plasteurope.com of 09.10.2006 – with plans for start-up in 2011, “the construction of this plant had been temporarily delayed due to the global economic crisis, which slowed demand for nylon 6.6 intermediates and polymer,” commented Warren Primeaux, president of Invista Intermediates.

Invista currently is at the stage of project engineering, expected to be wrapped up by the end of this year. The actual construction has been pencilled in for 2012, with production scheduled to kick off in phases from 2014 onwards. According to the US manufacturer, once the new plant is completed, “it will be the most energy efficient and technologically advanced nylon intermediates plant in the world.”

The new plant will use Invista’s latest advances in its proprietary butadiene-based technology to produce HMD and ADN.