Evonik Industries is right on schedule with its plans to expand amino-acid production for animal feed - one of its core businesses. A symbolic ground-breaking ceremony in Singapore today officially marked the start of construction of the new methionine complex there. The manufacturing complex is due to go into operation in the third quarter of 2014 and will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 metric tons of methionine. This will give Evonik total capacities for 580,000 metric tons p.a. The company is spending more than €500 million on building the manufacturing complex at which Evonik will also produce all the strategically relevant intermediates.

"The methionine manufacturing complex represents the biggest individual investment Evonik has ever made," explained Dr. Klaus Engel, the CEO of Evonik Industries AG, at today's ground-breaking ceremony in Singapore. "We opted for Asia as the site for this plant because this is the fastest growing methionine market in the world. And that circumstance enables us to substantially extend our lead as the world's market and technology leader for DL-methionine." The long term dynamic demand is fuelled by the mega trends health and nutrition.

The choice of a site in Asia went to Singapore because of its excellent logistical infrastructure, the benefits of a petrochemical network and the availability of highly educated people. "We are bringing hundreds of high-caliber jobs to Singapore and need excellently trained people to fill them-which is another benefit that Singapore has to offer," explained Dr. Reiner Beste, head of the Health & Nutrition Business Unit. Dr. Beste also expressed his satisfaction with how well the project schedule has been adhered to so far, saying, "The support we are receiving here in Singapore-from the public authorities, our engineering partners and our suppliers alike-is outstanding."

Evonik is currently manufacturing DL-methionine at four plants in Wesseling (Germany), Mobile (USA) and Antwerp (Belgium). These plants have recently been successively expanded, so that they now offer a total capacity for 430,000 metric tons p.a. "The manufacturing complex in Singapore will complement our global positioning, meaning we will henceforth be represented in all the key market regions and we will use additional opportunities for profitable growth," said Beste.

The new facility will be the most state-of-the-art manufacturing complex anywhere in the world, and it will be the first world-scale plant for methionine in Asia. One of the principal merits of this facility will be that it allows back-integration of all the key intermediates that go into manufacturing methionine. "That will enable us to offer our customers the utmost in supply reliability, as they have come to expect, and to further consolidate our competitive position," Beste promised.

As an additive for poultry and pig feed, methionine not only contributes to a balanced diet for animals, but it also helps to preserve resources and the environment. This is an important benefit as the world's ever-growing human population sees us striving to provide healthy food for more and more people. "Methionine allows us to make a valuable contribution to sustainability in food production," emphasized Beste. "This amino acid has an important role to play in our pursuit of economic growth and prosperity without causing an automatic increase in resource consumption."

Evonik is the only company in the world to manufacture and sell all four essential amino acids for modern animal feed: Biolys (L-lysine source), Metamino (DL-methionine), Threamino (L-threonine) and Trypamino (L-tryptophan).