Invista (Wichita, Kansas / USA; www.invista.com) has announced it will continue to upgrade its polyols capacity in Vlissingen / The Netherlands, during 2017 in order to meet growing demand from its European customers. Following on from investments made last year to improve efficiency at Vlissingen, further upgrades will be implemented for its “Terate” and "Terrin" lines. Capacity details and investment costs were not revealed.

Terate aromatic polyester polyols provide the flexibility in formulations to achieve the physical and flammability properties that are required in PU and polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams. Terrin polyols are aliphatic polyester polyols that contain a minimum of 50% recycled content and are used in various applications such as viscoelastic foam, spray coatings, adhesives and elastomeric resins.

Invista also produces Terate and Terrin polyols in Wilmington, North Carolina / USA.

In separate news, the US-based company said it is exploring strategic alternatives for its Apparel & Advanced Textiles business, which includes well-known brands such as “Lycra” and “Coolmax” used in fashion and sports clothing. The alternatives referred to include a potential sale, or retaining and further investing in the business within Invista. Finance group Goldman Sachs (New York / USA; www.goldmansachs.com) has been retained to assist Invista in its evaluation.

“A key element of our 'Market-based Management' business philosophy is to continuously assess the external value of our assets against our internal value to make sure that the asset is owned by the company that values it most highly,” explained Invista chairman and CEO Jeff Gentry, adding that the business is a strategic part of its portfolio. “We are simply considering all available options. In the event that no other company values the business more than we do, we will gladly hold the business and continue to invest for the future.”