Plant Expansions: Lubrizol invests in facilities for TPUs globally

To support rapid growth in surface protection applications, US materials supplier Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway Company, says it has made a variety of investments in its thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) business globally. These investments extend the company’s capabilities in surface protection and paint protection film (PPF).

PPFs are used to maintain the long-lasting beauty of vehicle surfaces. With more than 30 years of proven experience, Lubrizol says its Estane TPU is recognised as the benchmark material for performance in PPF, a reputation carefully developed through years of strategic investments in capacity, acquisitions and technology innovation.

The company’s most recent investments include:

• TPU capacity expansion through manufacturing and processing technology at its Montmelo, Spain facility to serve growing demand
• Application resources and testing capabilities in its Brecksville, Ohio; Montmelo, Spain and Songjiang, China technical centres to develop the next-generation innovations
• Expansion of its consumer and market insights platform to stay ahead of the evolving needs in PPF and other surface protection end uses

This integrated combination of investments uniquely positions Lubrizol to collaborate with customers and partners across the value chain to support their growth and accelerate speed to market with new product innovations, while providing additional security of supply across the globe.

The company has also recently launched its “Made with Estane TPU” branding initiative.

With a global manufacturing footprint and technical centres in the Americas, Europe and Asia, Lubrizol concludes that it is well positioned to serve the global PPF and Surface Protection industry.