Invista starts making nylon resin

Polymer supplier Invista is entering the nylon resins business.

The announcement was made at the NPE2009 show in Chicago.

Sales and marketing will be handled by Invista, headquartered in Wichita, Kan., while manufacturing will be done at plants in Kingston, Ont., Chattanooga, Tenn., and elsewhere in North America, South America and Europe.

Plans are underway to work with toll compounders and distributors, but details were not available at the company’s NPE press conference.

Invista’s initial focus will be on nylon 6/6, but it could eventually add nylon 6 and reinforced PET to its product mix.

Speaking at the press conference, Kurt Burmeister, executive vice president of Invista’s new engineering polymers segment, said his company sought feedback from OEMs, automotive tier suppliers and molders before entering the nylon resins market.

Invista is concentrating on consolidation vs. proliferation of grades. “We’re taking a more focused approach by creating a simplified portfolio of products, each with the ability to perform in numerous applications,” he said. “The benefits are economies of scale and customer flexibility, due to less complex operational systems and reduced inventory requirements. This strategy allows us to offer our customers value and savings without sacrificing quality.”

High-flow grades and grades with recycled content will be included in the product slate.

Invista, formerly DuPont Textiles & Interiors, is one of the world’s largest integrated fibers and intermediates businesses. It was sold in 2004 by DuPont to subsidiaries of privately-held Koch Industries Inc. Koch then combined its KoSa PET unit with Invista to create a new subsidiary. Koch had a non-compete agreement with DuPont which expired in May of this year.

Invista has a substantial presence in Canada. In addition to the Kingston plant, it maintains an office in Mississauga, Ont. Rich Hill, commercial director for Invista engineering polymers, is based in Mississauga