7 January 2016
DETAILS
PPG Industries announced today
that it is increasing precipitated silica production capacity
at its Lake Charles, Louisiana, manufacturing plant
by more than 10,000 tons per year
in response to growing demand.
The debottlenecking projects at Lake Charles
build on a 22,000-tons-per-year capacity increase
that came online in mid-2014 and
phased debottlenecking projects that came online in 2012.
In February 2015, PPG announced
expanded precipitated silica production
at its Delfzijl, Netherlands, plant, designed in part
to meet growing demand among global tire manufacturers
for AGILON® performance silica.
In addition to these expansions, PPG is also evaluating
additional significant silica expansion projects
in Europe and North America based on growing demand.
PPG pioneered synthetic precipitated silica products,
becoming one of the first manufacturers to bring them
to the marketplace in the 1930s.
Today, PPG’s silica products group
is a global technology leader in the manufacture of
precipitated silica products for use
* as reinforcing fillers in tire, industrial, footwear and
silicone rubber applications;
* as microporous fillers in battery separator applications;
* as flatting and thickening agents in coating, adhesive
and sealant applications; and
* as anti-caking, free-flow and carrier agents in food,
feed and industrial applications.
As part of PPG’s specialty coatings and materials business,
the silica products group serves customers
through a global network of manufacturing, research
and technical-support facilities.
Anup Jain,
PPG vice president, specialty coatings and materials
“PPG remains committed to the precipitated silica market,
and this investment will enable us to meet growing demand
for our products among
key strategic customers and target segments in the Americas,”
PPG would achieve the 10,000-tons-per-year capacity increase
through debottlenecking projects that are already underway
and expected to come online in the second half of 2016.
WWW.CHEMWINFO.COM BY KHUN PHICHAI
