HOUSTON—Tomorrow's tire industry will be built around a vision for sustainability and circularity, and Kraton Corp. intends to be in the mix.
The Houston-based specialty polymers and bio-based products producer is making what it calls a "significant" investment in its Niort, France, facility. Although Kraton did not disclose the size, it did note that the move will expand capacity for alpha methyl styrene by about 15 percent by 2023.
Kraton anticipates the investment will lead to a 70 percent reduction in solvent consumption, creating a favorable impact on the product life cycle by the end of 2022.
Kraton's pine-based AMS resins, also known as pure monomer resins, typically are used as tread enhancement additives for tires and as high-performance tackifying resins in fast-growing adhesive markets. Marketed under the brand Sylvatraxx, the additives are claimed to improve overall performance of tire treads in terms of wet grip, low rolling resistance, and durability.