DuPont to Build Nylon Plant in Europe

DuPont has announced plans to invest in a new plant for its Zytel HTN polyphthalamide (PPA) resin in Uentrop, Germany. The company said it will be the first production facility in Europe for the high-performance nylon.

Construction has started and the plant will begin production in summer 2016. Neither capacity details nor investment costs were revealed.

DuPont said the extra capacity is needed to meet growing global demand in the automotive, electrical and consumer electronics markets.

In 2015, the company announced expansions for Zytel in Germany and the US. At Uentrop, output for Zytel nylon 66 and 6 compounds was being increased by 20%, while in Richmond, Virginia, production of Zytel HTN polymer was to rise by 10%.

Design engineers are increasingly using nylon and plastic resins to replace metal in a variety of industries. DuPont said Zytel HTN PPA grades are resistant to high temperatures, chemicals and moisture, making them ideal for automotive under-the-hood applications. In consumer electronics, the resins enable designers of products such as mobile phones and tablets to create lighter and thinner items.

Separately, DuPont Protection Solutions is adding two testing facilities for its life-sized Thermo-Man burns evaluation device. The laboratories will open this year in Brazil and Singapore, adding to existing facilities in Switzerland, the US and the United Arab Emirates.

Rose Lee, president of DuPont Protection Solutions, said the additional facilities will enable the company to support the development of more advanced fabrics, as well as advancing its own fiber technologies.