PARIS, FRANCE: Due to strong demand for lithium-ion batteries and other important markets, Arkema’s previously announced 35% fluoropolymer capacity increase at its Changshu site in China is now revised upwards to a capacity expansion of 50%.
There is no change in the expected start-up date, which is end-2022.
With this PVDF capacity increase, Arkema accelerates its development in China in order to meet the strong demand from its partner customers in the lithium-ion battery business and support the significant growth in the water filtration, specialty coatings, and semiconductor sectors.
Arkema, a global leader in PVDF production, also recently announced a 50% PVDF capacity increase at its Pierre-Bénite site in France, which is scheduled to come on stream in the first quarter of 2023.
“We are committed to supporting the growth of our customers,” said Erwoan Pezron, Senior Vice-President of Arkema’s High Performance Polymers. “We continue to innovate and grow together, driven by strong end-user demand for sustainable solutions.”
Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address ever-growing demand for new and sustainable materials.
With the ambition to become in 2024 a pure player in Specialty Materials, the Group is structured into 3 complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials -Adhesive solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions- accounting for some 82% of Group sales in 2020, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment.
Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, among other things, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders.
The Group reported sales of around €8 billion in 2020, and operates in some 55 countries with 20,600 employees worldwide.