Solvay completes South Carolina facility installation, adds to U.S. thermoplastic composite capacity
Facility development is fueled by increasing energy, aerospace and automotive demand, and will manufacture UD PVDF, PPS and PEEK tapes.
Solvay TPC expansion fueled by energy, automotive and aerospace demand. Photo Credit: Solvay
On Sept. 16 Solvay (Greenville, S.C., U.S.) announced the installation completion of its new 27,000-square-foot thermoplastic composites (TPC) manufacturing facility at its Greenville, S.C., site. At full production capacity, the new line will add more than 30 positions at the facility.
The project represents a major milestone in Solvay’s efforts to industrialize its TPC capacity. A key driver for the facility is growing demand from energy companies, supported by increasing aerospace and automotive demand. Solvay says the new product line will have the ability to manufacture unidirectional composite tape from a range of high-performance polymers including PVDF, PPS and PEEK.
“The TPC solutions that will be manufactured in our Greenville facility will help our energy, aerospace and automotive customers achieve better environmental responsibility by making cars and planes lighter, thereby reducing emissions,” says Mike Finelli, president of Solvay’s growth platforms. “Our new capacity and differentiated technologies will allow us to expand with our customers as TPCs gain momentum in a growing number of applications and play an important role in the energy transition.”
The Greenville facility is part of a series of recent strategic investments in line with the company’s commitment to build the infrastructure required for the growing TPC market. Other recent commitments to the industry include Solvay’s addition of capacity for TPC tape in Anaheim, Calif., two new R&I centers in Brussels, Belgium, and Alpharetta, Ga., and Solvay’s membership in the TPRC consortium.
“Solvay’s expansion is yet another example of the unparalleled success companies are finding in South Carolina. We thank Solvay for their continued partnership with our state and look forward to their future growth in Greenville County and beyond,” says South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
Upon commercialization of the Greenville facility, Solvay reports that it will be uniquely positioned with proprietary technologies enabling the company to position the right product for the right application. Solvay’s TPC portfolio includes Evolite, which offers reliability and lower total cost of ownership in markets such as energy and automotive, and APC tapes, which reportedly offer significant weight and cost advantages in aerospace and urban air mobility applications.
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