Solvay to build PTFE plant

SOLVAY SA, based in Brussels, will build a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) micronized powder plant in the Jiangsu High-Tech Fluorochemical Industrial Park in Changshu, China, for an undisclosed amount. PTFE is used in a variety of applications, such as high performance lubricants, cosmetics, high gloss inks, and heat-resistant materials. Demand in Asia, particularly in China, for micronized PTFE is fueled by a growing domestic customer base, as well as by the establishment of local production facilities by a number of Solvays global clients, the company said. The plant, which will start up in the second half of 2007, will be operated through Solvay Specialty Polymers Changshu, a newly created, fully owned subsidiary of Solvay. Deploying a local production capacity enables us to offer world class products and services to our local clients as well as to our global customers, with all the advantages linked to proximity, in terms of logistics and reactivity, said Pierre Joris, CEO of Solvay Solexis, a subsidiary of Solvay which will manage the facility. (July 3, 2006)