Bayer and DuPont Break Ground for New Polymer Production Facility

19-Oct-2001

Ground was broken on Wednesday, October 17, 2001, for the construction of a polymer production facility for DuBay Polymer GmbH, a newly founded joint venture between DuPont and Bayer. On by to dig the first turf was the Premier of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Wolfgang Clement. The capital invested in the plant is over EUR 50 million, and production is due to start in 2003.

"With a capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes per year," said Dr. Jürgen Dahmer, head of the Bayer Plastics Business Group, "we are setting up the world's biggest production facility for polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)." This thermoplastic polyester is highly resistant to heat and chemicals, while being simple to process. The main areas of application include central locking systems and airbag fixtures in cars as well as components and parts in the electrical and electronics industries and in mechanical and plant engineering. Popular domestic applications are power points, hair dryers and irons.

With this new facility, DuBay is responding to an expanding market for PBT, which is estimated to be growing at between seven and nine percent per year — one of the highest rates for engineering polymers.

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DuPont and Bayer will obtain from the new plant only the base polymer, in other words the pure plastic. The two companies will process the product into commercial granules independently of one another and market them separately.

"DuBay Polymer GmbH will employ a workforce of about 60," said Mathieu Vrijsen, European President of DuPont International, "so that the plant will help to strengthen regional industry and safeguard the future of the DuPont site at Hamm-Uentrop."

DuPont currently produces polyamide and polyester polymers at Hamm-Uentrop where it employs a workforce of about 600. Hamm is also the head office of DuPont Sabanci Polyester GmbH, a 50/50 joint venture between Sabanci and DuPont for the production and marketing of polyester fibers.

DuPont Engineering Polymers produces and markets a wide range of thermoplastic polyesters and polyester elastomers, polyacetals, polyamides, liquid crystal polymers (LCP) and polyimides. Worldwide application fields for these materials are the aerospace industry, domestic appliances, the automotive, consumer goods, electrical and electronics industries, sportswear and many other sectors.

Bayer AG's Plastics Business Group employs about 7,000 staff and achieves over EUR 3.5 billion in sales throughout the world. Its activities focus on the production and sale of engineering thermoplastics, particularly for the automotive, electrical and electronics industries.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/5509/bayer-and-dupont-break-ground-for-new-polymer-production-facility.html