Arkema Doubles India Powder Coatings Capacity
Last week, specialty chemicals company Arkema announced that it has doubled its polyester resins capacity at its Navi Mumbai, India, facility. According to the company, this move reinforces its position in the global powder coatings market and its commitment to developing very low-VOC technologies.
Arkema reportedly invested in the facility in early 2019 to expand geographic coverage of its high-performance, more sustainable and low-VOC products. The site includes a manufacturing unit and a laboratory to provide application development and technical support in the region.
With the capacity doubling of the Reafree powder polyester resins at the facility, the company plans to support its customers’ growth in the area, in the mobility, household and industrial applications, including automotive, home appliances, furniture and sports infrastructure industries.
“India is a key growth market for both the powder coatings industry and for Arkema. Arkema is the first international leader in powder coating resins to make significant investments in the area,” said Neil Tariq, Global Business Director for Coating Resins.
“Powder coating resins enable low waste, solvent-free and high durability solutions, which make this technology key to the sustainable development of our customers and partners.”
Strengthening our leadership positions ??
— Arkema (@Arkema_group) December 15, 2022
??In order to support our customers’ growth in #mobility, household and industrial applications, we are now doubling the capacity of our powder #coating resins plant in India ????!
?? https://t.co/jcdtyWFzya pic.twitter.com/mDCHDFUeC2
Recent Arkema News
At the beginning of November, Arkema announced that partially or fully recycled polyamide products are being produced at its custom recycling center in Italy. Now available through the Virtucycle program, Rilsan polyamide 11, Rilsamid polyamide 12 and Pebax polymers are being commercialized.
“More and more, our customers are interested in innovative recycled options in order to drive improved sustainability and circularity in the supply chain,” said Erwoan Pezron, Arkema’s Senior Vice President for High Performance Polymers.
According the release, by the end of this year, Arkema is aiming to offer several SCS certified grades that will meet critical performance standards while also offering a traceable supply chain. The grades are produced at Arkema’s custom mechanical recycling center for advanced polymers in Italy using only renewable energy.
Detailed LCA data packages will reportedly be available upon request.
Last year, Arkema acquired Agiplast, a company specializing in the regeneration of high-performance polymers and its historical partner in recycling operations. Operating in Italy, the plant employed 32 workers at the time, with annual sales of around 15 million euros.
