Nouryon to Expand Production Capacity in US Midwest

Chemicals manufacturer Nouryon revealed plans this week for a new manufacturing plant on Wednesday that will produce Expancel brand expandable microspheres. A company announcement said Tuesday that a site in Green Bay, WI was chosen for the new facility.

“This new plant will meet the fast-growing demand for Expancel. We are excited to better serve our customers throughout the Americas as well as other parts of the world,” Sylvia Winkel Pattersson, vice president for Expancel for Nouryon, said in a statement. “The first step will be the start of initial production in Green Bay in October; this will be followed by further increases over the next several years.”

Expandable microspheres are ssed in the automotive, construction, packaging, and mining and other applications as a lightweight filler and blowing agent to make end products lighter and reduce material costs.

“The ability to create lightweight products with Expancel, such as polymer parts and coatings, presents tremendous growth opportunities as customers drive to implement improved sustainable solutions,” said Nouryon President of Technology Solutions Johan Landfors in the release. “This investment complements our production sites in Sweden, Brazil and China and ensures that our customers worldwide can rely on us to support the growth of their business.”

Nouryon also said this month that it is investing in a project at its manufacturing facility in Delfzijl, The Netherlands to boost the capacity and efficiency of monochloroacetic acid (MCA) production at the site. The crystalline material is used to produce crop protection, home, and personal care products and also has applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.