Evonik Plans to Expand PMMA Compounding capacity at Osceola site

Evonik Industries AG said that it will begin construction of an additional line for compounding its Acrylite trademarked polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) at its site in Osceola (Arkansas), in early 2018.

The expansion will nearly double the production capacity of the methacrylates business line for the speciality moulding compounds produced there. Completion and startup of the new compounding line are scheduled for the first quarter of 2019. 

Acrylite moulding compounds show convincing performance in all applications where the foremost requirements are unexcelled weather resistance, colourfastness, high brilliance and transparency as well as hardness and abrasion resistance. In cooperation with specialists from the plastics industry and their suppliers, product line moulding compounds develop new Acrylite products for innovative applications. 

Evonik is a worldwide manufacturer of PMMA products sold under the Plexiglas and Pleximid trademarks on the European, Asian, African and Australian continents and under the Acrylite and Acrymid trademarks in the Americas. 

“Expanding the compounding capacity in Osceola is the next logical step in our efforts to implement our global strategy for speciality moulding compounds. We are the only PMMA manufacturer in the world that has fully integrated MMA/PMMA production networks with downstream compounding in the Americas, Europe, and Asia,” said Siamak Djafarian, who heads the moulding compounds product line within Evonik’s performance materials segment.

“The expansion is a response to increasing demand for Acrylite. Demand is on the rise in the US and in the growing Mexican and South American markets, especially for construction, lighting, and automotive applications that require a sophisticated level of quality,” added Jack Chenault, the head of the Americas region for the performance materials segment.