LANXESS invests EUR 9 million to expand EVM production
Capacity increase to support continued growth in specialty rubber applications
LANXESS is to expand annual production capacity at its Dormagen site for its ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVM) line sold under the product brands Levapren and Levamelt by 30 percent to 15,000 metric tons. The new capacities are due to be available from the second half of 2012.
“With this investment we are responding to rising demand in the wire and cable industry, which manufactures flame-retardant halogen-free sheathing out of Levapren,” says Jürgen Gunther, head of the Specialties business line in the Technical Rubber Products (TRP) business unit. Levapren’s high oil and heat resistance is also increasingly opening up applications for the product in automotive engineering. “We also expect Levapren to be used more and more in components of new polymer classes for automotive applications such as HIPEX, a new crosslinked thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-V) developed in cooperation with Kraiburg TPE, Waldkraiburg, Germany,” adds Gunther.
LANXESS sees further growth potential for its EVM specialty elastomers stemming from the adhesives area. "There, Levamelt excels with its good processability and wide-ranging and precisely adjustable tackiness in the production of transparent, adhesive films,” says Dirk Schäfer, head of Strategic Marketing in the Specialties business line.
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