ESSEN, Germany—Evonik Industries A.G. said it is expanding precipitated silica capacity at its Maptaphut, Thailand, facility.
The multimillion-dollar project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2014, and will allow the firm to support the growth of key customers in Southeast Asia and throughout the world, the firm said.
Using silica in combination with silanes allows manufacturers to produce tires that greatly reduce rolling resistance, yielding fuel savings of up to 8 percent compared to traditional car tires, Evonik said. The firm said estimates are that demand for low rolling resistance tires will grow by 18 percent annually on average during the next five years.