Dutch chemical producer DSM is evaluating possible production sites for a new plant in North America to produce its "Akulon" polyamide 6 polymer for film applications in flexible food packaging and other segments.

Construction of the new facility is scheduled to start in Q4 2014, with completion targeted for mid-2016. The company said financial details of the investment will not be disclosed.

The new plant will be DSM's first for the high viscosity PA 6 grades in North America.

Roelof Westerbeek, president of DSM Engineering Plastics said the investment "fits perfectly with our growth strategy for Materials Sciences." It strengthens the company's global position in PA 6-based film, demonstrates its "strong commitment" to both global and North American customers and "supports our further growth ambitions in the Americas for engineering plastics."

DSM said flexible films based on its Akulon PA 6, with its strong barrier against oxygen help to reduce food lost or wasted during its journey from farm to fork.
The company estimates that roughly 1.3 billion t of food is lost or wasted annually, mostly in industrialized countries.