HOUSTON, April 4,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Corporation, a
leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and
high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping
co-products, announces a significant investment in its Alpha Methyl
Styrene (AMS) Resins facility in Niort, France. Kraton expects the investment will
result in a 15% production increase at the Niort manufacturing
facility by 2023. In addition to the capacity increase, Kraton
anticipates the investment will lead to a 70% reduction in solvent
consumption, creating a favorable impact on the product life cycle
by the end of 2022.
Kraton's AMS Resins, also known as Pure Monomer Resins, are sold
in high-end applications such as Tread Enhancement Additives for
premium tires and as high-performance tackifying resins in
fast-growing adhesive markets. Kraton's SYLVATRAXX™ Tread
Enhancement Additives improve the overall performance of tire
treads in terms of wet grip, low rolling resistance, and
durability, thus enabling safer driving, better fuel efficiency and
range. Due to increasingly stringent car emission standards across
the globe, these high-performance additives have seen substantial
demand growth.
"The rise in Electric Vehicles (EV) also contributes to this
growth, as the increased EV weight and higher torque bring new
challenges in tire performance," said Torsten Schmidt, Vice President of Commercial,
Kraton Pine Chemicals. "Our SYLVATRAXX products continue to gain
popularity across the entire tire value chain as they enable our
customers to meet these new requirements."
In recent years, Kraton has made significant investments in AMS
Resins at the manufacturing facility in Niort, resulting in added
operational capacity and improved asset reliability. As customer
demand increases, the new growth project focuses on advancing
production efficiencies while improving the site's environmental
footprint.
In parallel with the current expansion projects, Kraton is
exploring additional manufacturing expansion opportunities at the
Niort plant beyond the 2023 horizon.
About Kraton Corporation
Kraton
Corporation is a leading global sustainable producer of specialty
polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood
pulping co-products. Kraton's polymers are used in a wide range of
applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal
care products, sealants and lubricants, medical, packaging,
automotive, paving and roofing applications. As the largest global
provider in the pine chemicals industry, the company's pine-based
specialty products are sold into adhesive, road and construction
and tire markets, and it produces and sells a broad range of
performance chemicals into markets that include fuel additives,
oilfield chemicals, coatings, metalworking fluids and lubricants,
inks and mining. Kraton offers its products to a diverse customer
base in numerous countries worldwide. Kraton and
the Kraton logo are registered trademarks of Kraton
Corporation, or its subsidiaries or affiliates, in one or more, but
not all countries.
Media Contact:
Kristen Boyd:
(281) 504-4986
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kraton-expands-ams-resin-capacity-at-niort-facility-to-support-customer-growth-301517005.html
SOURCE Kraton Corporation