Otech (Rolling Prairie, Indiana; www.otechcompounds.com) said it has set up a second plant in the East Coast city Auburn, Massachusetts, where it is preparing to install three extrusion lines.

The site is about an hour from Boston, which is considered America’s most important centre for biotechnology and pharmaceutical developments, with 500 companies in these areas alone. The compounder is likely to build another mainstay with this branch in addition to its main plant near the carmaking hub of Detroit.

The company, managed by Jason Page and Ted Irvine since October 2022, has its roots in PVC compounding, and PVC blends are still Otech's core business, but the company is increasingly turning its attention to thermoplastic elastomers and other products, including conductive and black materials.

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Otech operates eleven extrusion lines at its almost 25,000 m² main plant. The current total capacity was quoted at around 55,000 t/y, but after the most recent expansions in 2022, especially for PVC compounds, it is likely around 80,000 t/y. With the three additional lines, another 15,000 tons per year could be added.

In 2019, Otech sold its colour formulation activities to focus entirely on compounds.