Evonik Industries AG has broken ground on a 400 million euro ($442.1 million) production plant for nylon 12 at its manufacturing site in Marl, Germany.

The new unit, which represents Evonik’s biggest single investment in Germany to date, will expand the company’s nylon 12 production capacity by more than 50 percent, Evonik officials said in a Sept. 17 news release which did not provide specific capacity details.

Scheduled to start up in 2021, the new plant is being constructed in response to high demand in attractive markets, and will reinforce Evonik’s position as a leading supplier of nylon.

The 50 percent increase in capacity will include increases in monomer production as well as polymerization and compounding capabilities at the site.

Marl beat out competition from Singapore and other countries that, among others, were offering tax benefits in an attempt to draw the expansion there, local officials said.

At the ceremony, Evonik Chairman Christian Kullmann said the new plant would target global strategic growth markets such as 3D printing.

The lightweight and long-life materials will also be used in the automotive industry, Kullmann added.

Evonik already raised production of its Vestosint-branded powder materials in Marl by 50 percent in February 2018. But the recent investment will cover a larger scope that will include its Vistamid range of nylon 12 polymers.

Courtesy: Plastic News