Ascend Plans Intermediates and Polymer Expansions
US producer Ascend Performance Materials is planning to raise capacity across its intermediates and polymers portfolio in response to growing customer demand.
The Houston-headquartered group, which regards itself as the world’s largest fully integrated nylon 6.6 producer, will hike capacity by 10-15% for adiponitrile, hexamethylene diamine, adipic acid and polymers through 2018. Details of which plants are will be expanded and actual capacity figures were not disclosed.
“The global demand for nylon 6,6 and our intermediate chemicals continues to grow at 3-4% per year in a range of diverse applications. Ascend has cost-effective expansion opportunities that allow us to bring additional capacity online as the market needs it,” said president and CEO, Phil McDivitt, adding that the company has consistently increased output by 10-30% across its nylon 6,6 chain since 2015.
This latest announcement follows a previous $6.2 million expansion project completed in August. Project Staple added 11,000 t/y of staple fiber capacity and consolidated the majority of nylon fiber production at the Ascend site in Greenwood, South Carolina. The US plant will continue to produce bulk continuous filament, industrial and other fibers in addition to staple, which was previously manufactured in Pensacola, Florida and Foley, Alabama. Extra compounding capacity was also added at Foley.
