Borealis to build dedicated automotive compounding plant in North America

In a bid to strengthen its business as a local material supplier to automotive OEMs and their Tier partners in North America, Borealis is building a dedicated automotive polypropylene (PP) compounding plant in Taylorsville, N.C.

In a statement, Vienna-based Borealis said the goal of the new facility is to “step up its capacity, capabilities, and support infrastructure, ensuring that customers in North America receive the same level of service as in the other regions.”

North Carolina was selected for what Borealis calls “its strategic location and proximity to [our] customer base, as well as for the business-friendly and supporting environment of the State and the County.”

The North Carolina plant is scheduled to become commercially operational in early 2019 and will initially produce PP compounds in the Daplen family of PP thermoplastic olefins (TPO) and in the Fibremod range of PP short glass fibre (SGF) reinforced materials.

“We are aware that North America is a competitive market with established suppliers, however, we are convinced that our cutting-edge material solutions will continue to help our customers create value through innovation and enable us to grow with them on a global basis,” said Nicholas Kolesch, head of automotive marketing at Borealis.