COLOMBES, France—Arkema S.A. is planning to increase production of its Kynar-braded fluoropolymers at its plant in Calvert City, Ky., boosting the facility's capacity by 20 percent as early as 2018.
Driving the expansion is strong demand in the new energies and water management markets. More traditional applications such as chemical process industry and high performance cables also are impacting the firm's decision to increase capacity.
According to Arkema, the investment will enable the group to support its customers' growth in America, particularly in emerging applications such as water filtration.
"Over the last five decades, the Calvert City plant has proven itself to be outstanding in efficiency, quality and innovation. This latest investment … will enable us to support the fast growth of our customers, in particular in the U.S., with ever more innovative products suited to their evolving needs," said Erwoan Pezron, global group president for Arkema's technical polymers.
Arkema already operates fluoropolymer production facilities in Europe, North America and Asia, and the investment is expected to further consolidate its position in PVDF market.
In its recent capital markets day in July, Arkema said it increased investment in development of its advanced materials as part of future growth. The company completed a similar expansion at its Changshu, China, plant earlier this year.