Lanxess boosts capacity in Antwerp facility

Specialty chemical supplier Lanxess recently announced a series of investments in its plastics materials business in Antwerp.

The Belgium-based company is spending EUR 15 million in its glass fiber plant in the Antwerp docklands; glass fibers are a key intermediate for the production of high-tech plastics. According to Lanxess, the expansion will boost the facility’s annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons by 10 per cent. “The high-tech plastics business is a major growth driver for Lanxess,” said Werner Breuers, member of the board of management of Lanxess AG. “There is attractive business potential in the global market arising from the increasing demand for modern mobility as well as from the electric and electronic markets.” According to Lanxess, the global demand for high-tech plastics is expected to increase by roughly seven per cent per year through 2020.

Also at the Antwerp facility, the company recently announced an investment project of EUR 35 million to expand the production of the plastic intermediate caprolactam. The production capacity of 200,000 metric tons per year will also be increased by 10 per cent, Lanxess said.