MAASTRICHT, Netherlands—Arlanxeo has completed a upgrade of its chloroprene rubber production facilities in Dormagen, Germany, bringing the total production capacity at the site to 70,000 metric tons per year.
The "multi-million-euro" project, originally disclosed in 2018, involved upgrading and modernizing the plant to increase the flexibility and capability of the unit to produce specialty products, Arlanxeo said in an Oct. 8 statement.
In addition, Arlanxeo said it had made "substantial progress" modernizing its nitrile butadiene rubber plant in La Wantzenau, France. That project, a "double-digit million euro" investment, started in mid-2018 and aims to bring the plant up to the latest technology standards.
Arlanxeo did not provide further details on the production capacity increase at the French site but said the investment would serve the rising demand in its NBR rubbers.
"These investments are strong examples of how Arlanxeo keeps upgrading its plants to enable us to provide the highest quality products to meet increasing customer demands," Christian Widdershoven, a member of Arlanxeo's executive leadership team, said in a statement. "Moreover they demonstrate Arlanxeo's commitment to the growing CR and NBR business, and are setting the basis for its future growth."
The La Wantzenau facility is claimed to be the world's largest NBR production site, serving as Arlanxeo's center for research and development activities for NBR. The facility also produces a broad range of NBR grades which is supplied to more than 500 customers in over 60 countries worldwide.
Arlanxeo produces and markets its CR grades under the Baypren brand. The materials are used in the production of cable sheathing, belts, conveyor belts and wetsuits.
The NBR produced by Arlanxeo is sold under the Perbunan, Krynac, and Baymod N brands. The materials are used the production of cables, seals and hoses, for key markets such as the automotive and construction sectors as well as the oil and gas production and processing industry.