Huntsman Increases Specialty Amine Capacity

US chemical producer Huntsman has announced plans to expand capacity for specialty amines at its sites in Petfurdo, Hungary, and Conroe, Texas, US, by 2016. Financial investment and capacity were not disclosed.

The company said its new multipurpose unit at Petfurdo will add to its manufacturing portfolio, further leverage its integrated amines capability and increase existing specialty amine production capacity at the Hungarian facility by 20%.

At the Texas plant, Huntsman will add equivalent capacity and improve the flexibility of its specialty amine unit.

Over the past several years Huntsman, which claims to be the world's leading manufacturer of specialty amines, said it "has seen interest in many specialty amine product lines accelerate from users in the polyurethane foams, coatings, lubricants and detergents across the globe."

Stu Monteith, president of Huntsman's Performance Products division, said the capacity expansion leverages the company's strong manufacturing and technology base and enhances what he said is already the widest in-house manufacturing capability across the industry.

The US chemical producer said it has "consistently improved capability and extended the product range manufactured at Petfurdo over the past 15 years, adding that "the new capacities show the commitment that we will build ahead of the demand curve to match our customers' growth."