ATLANTA—J.M. Huber's Fire Retardant Additives business unit, a part of the Huber Engineered Materials division, is expanding production capacity for Martinal Leo fine precipitated alumina trihydrate at its Martinswerk facility in Bergheim, Germany.
The move will increase capacity for Leo grades by 20 percent, and it comes in response to growing demand for the product throughout Europe, India and Asia.
While the project is expected to be completed in 2020, Huber anticipates phasing in production capacity as early as the second half of 2019.
Huber did not specify how much it intends to spend on the expansion, instead calling it a "significant capital investment."
Martin Schulting, managing director of Huber's FRA business unit in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said in a statement the expansion represents the largest investment made at Martinswerk within the last 40 years.
In addition to the expansion, Huber aims to reduce the environmental footprint at the Bergheim facility and is engaged in sustainability discussions with governmental agencies.
As Huber prepares for expansion in Germany, it's preparing to inaugurate expanded production at its facility in Bauxite, Ark. Huber anticipates bringing the expansion of precipitated alumina trihydrate on stream by the third quarter of 2018.
Huber's FRA business unit has four manufacturing sites in North America and two in Europe. Martinswerk was acquired by Huber in 2016.