Evonik Buys R&D Buildings, Pilot Plant from Air Products

Specialty chemicals firm Evonik Corporation plans to acquire research and development and office buildings and a pilot plant at a site in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley from Air Products, the German-owned firm announced in a release Tuesday. 

The deal includes two R&D buildings, several office buildings, a pilot plant and 41 acres within Air Products’ campus at Trexlertown, PA. Evonik plans to add 50 new positions to its present headcount of 215 at the site during the next three years.

“Since closing our purchase of the specialty materials business of Air Products, we have searched the Lehigh Valley for a proper home for our offices and research and development capabilities,” John Rolando, region president of North America at Evonik, said in a statement. “Purchasing the existing facilities will allow us to retain the R&D capabilities, avoid business disruption, and enable investments to the site to modernize and sustain the growth of our businesses here.”

Evonik will also construct a new business and technology center at the Trexlertown campus, containing over 50 laboratories for product development and testing, according to a separate release by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s office. 

The state granted the specialty chemical firm $150,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits (JCTC), as well as a grant totaling $2.5 million via the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. 

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