Solvay has announced plans for a new US plant to produce its high-end KetaSpire-brand PEEK (polyether etherketone) resins, significantly expanding capacity for neat resin by 2,500 t/y - a significant step for the small-volume product.

With the new plant, the Belgian chemical producer said it is "solidifying itself as a leader in the industry with a unique site presence in both the United States and in Asia."

The new unit at Solvay's Specialty Polymers site in Augusta, Georgia, due on stream in mid-2016, will be added to the new capacity expansion at Panoli, India. The two projects represent an investment of more than $85 million.

Solvay said the capacity upgrades reinforce its long-term commitment to the industry to keep pace with growing demand for KetaSpire and its sister product AvaSpire (PAE). The two ultra-polymers play a major role in lightweighting, reducing energy consumption and in enabling high performance in demanding applications such as healthcare, electronics, oil & gas, aeronautics and automotive, the company added.

"This major expansion drive will make Solvay the only player in the industry to produce PEEK at two different sites in two different, growing regions," said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, president of Solvay's Specialty Polymers Global Business Unit (GBU).

The new PEEK plant will be built alongside Solvay Specialty Polymers' existing resin and monomer production units in Augusta, and benefit from the site's proximity to the GBU's Research & Innovation center in Alpharetta, Georgia. The new unit will use the same processes and technologies as Solvay's Indian plant.