Evonik is repositioning its Germany-based business with polyamide-based high-performance polymers to concentrate on attractive growth markets such as automotive, oil and gas, 3D printing and optics. As part of the process, the company announced on May 9 that it will quit the polyphthalamide (PPA) market.

The Essen, Germany-based specialty chemicals producer said it intends to phase out PPA production at Witten, Germany, up to the end of the first quarter of 2020. The around a dozen potentially redundant employees are being offered transfers to the expanded production facilities for PA 12 at the Marl, Germany, site.

Currently, the company operates several plants for organic chemicals at Witten. The site, which supplies raw materials for the paints, coatings and adhesives industries, employs roughly 300 people altogether. A new plant for specialty copolyesters started up there last year.

Alongside its withdrawal from the MMA/PMMA market, Evonik’s reorganization plans for plastics appear to concentrate on building up activities in its Marl chemical park, where it last year inaugurated a new plant for PA 12 powder plant to supply the rapidly growing 3D printing market.

Also last year, the company unveiled plans to build a new plant for PA 12 resin at Marl, increasing output by 50% up to 2021 at a cost of €400 million. Last month, it said it would add capacity for transparent PA up to the first quarter of 2020. The latter investment, Evonik said, will double overall capacity for the high-performance material sold under the trademark Trogamid CX.

Ralf Düssel, head of the High Performance Polymers business line, said the investment plans represent a more intense focus on developing sophisticated specialty solutions for customers.  The reorganization plans for PA will not affect the company’s Terra-branded bio-based polymers business.