Lanxess (Cologne / Germany; www.lanxess.com) has brought on stream another compounding line at its site in Gastonia, North Carolina / USA, thereby doubling output to 40,000 t/y. Construction on the USD 15m expansion first began in 2014, and commissioning is on schedule (see Plasteurope.com of 15.08.2014). The plant compounds PA and PBT with additives and glass fibre, producing Lanxess’ “Durethan” and “Pocan” product families. Most of its output is earmarked for the US automotive industry, where the grades help achieve weight reductions and replace metal.

Lanxess management board member Hubert Fink said the expansion shows the company’s commitment to North America, “which we see as a major growth region.” The German speciality chemicals producer expects global demand for engineering plastics in automotive applications to grow by 7% annually to 2020, driven by rising car production and the trend towards more fuel-efficient automobiles. In the US, for instance, the German company points out, car producers need to meet the government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations, including the average distance that has to be covered per one gallon of fuel.

Lanxess said it plans to invest another EUR 50-100m in the coming years to drive the organic growth of its high-performance plastics business. Aside from Gastonia, the group’s High Performance Materials unit also operates plants in Belgium, Germany, China, India and Brazil.