Germany's Evonik has begun expanding is MMA transesterification (MMAT) plant at Mobile, Alabama, in response to what it said is increasing demand.

Without disclosing an investment value, the group said the project will cost in the "multi-million-dollar range." It also did not disclose capacity, saying only that its capacity would "rise significantly" at start-up in late 2014.

The expansion reflects the strength of the markets supplied by the MMAT plant and a continued confidence in the ability of Evonik's Mobile site to deliver impressive results to its performance polymers business, the group's North American subsidiary said.