Capacity Expansions: Ineos to set up composites plant in Germany;

Ineos to set up composites plant in Germany
Styrenics maker Ineos Styrolution is planning to set up a new production site for its composite StyLight. While Ineos says it is prioritising a location in Germany, a specific location for the new production site is yet to be defined. The new site is planned to be operational in 2022.

The company’s recent activities include the acquisition of polystyrene assets in China, construction of a new 100,000 tonnes ASA plant in Bayport, Texas, and the development of a new 50,000 tonnes ABS production line in Wingles, France.

It says that the establishment of a new production site for StyLight reflects growing customer demand. Ever since its introduction at the K in Düsseldorf in 2016, StyLight has caught the attention of designers globally in the automotive, electronics and sports industry, says Ineos. The SAN-based composite is said to excel with a combination of structural stiffness, aesthetics, processability, dimensional stability and a surface quality close to Class A. The portfolio has recently been expanded to include PP based StyLight.

Early development partnerships with the research institutes NMF (Neue Materialien Fürth GmbH) and NMB (Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH) were key to optimising the product properties and processing. Further partnerships with the companies Roctool and, more recently, with ARRK Shapers’ has led to the full validation of StyLight according to the automotive interior specification of leading car manufacturers.