ESSEN, Germany—Evonik A.G. will construct a new multi-purpose facility to add capacity for silicone and silane-terminated polymer production.
The company is investing a double-digit million dollar amount in the new facility, which will be located in Geestchacht, Germany, about 19 miles outside Hamburg, Germany, according to an Evonik news release. The new plant is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2019.
Evonik sells the silicone and silane-terminated polymers to be produced at the site under the Polymer VS and Polymer ST brand names, which are used in applications such as parquet adhesives, adhesives for wound care and encapsulation applications in electronics.
A facility for filling tank trucks also is being built at the site, which will simplify the delivery and storage process for customers, while also increasing efficiency, according to Sabine Giessler-Blank, head of the polymer and construction specialties product line for Evonik.
"The additional production capacity will also create room for us to develop new products," Giessler-Blank added, "enabling us to increase the performance of our customers' products and to react to future demands in the adhesives and sealants market."
The investment has an important strategic significance in strengthening the company's focus on specialty chemical products, said Dietmar Schaefer, head of the interface and performance business line for Evonik.
The Geesthacht site, which has about 100 employees, will focus on silicone and nanotechnology. Addition- and condensation-curing silicones as well as silane-terminated polymers are used as binders in adhesives and sealants, electronics and medical applications. The silica-based nanomaterials can be used in property-enhancing additives in fiber composites used in the automotive and aerospace industry.