Trinseo has opened a pilot plant and added more capacity for S-SBR at its facility in Schkopau, Germany.
The decision to open the plant and add capacity was driven by the growth in global demand for S-SBR and the need for faster innovation cycles in the performance tire market.
The pilot plant will design next generation material and deliver sufficient quantities of new S-SBR formulations as required for real-world tire testing.
Equipment there enables evaluation of both process and product parameters to meet tire manufacturers’ need for reducing product validation time.
Meanwhile capacity has been expanded by 50kt of S-SBR, increasing the company’s global S-SBR production by 33%. Most of Trinseo’s production is for the tire industry.
“With this plant, Trinseo has the ability to react faster to customer demands, enabling them to become technological leaders,” said Hayati Yarkadas, senior VP and business president.
“The new pilot plant and capacity expansion is consistent with our goal of increasing EBITDA by US$100m in our latex binders, synthetic rubber and performance plastics segments from 2016 to 2019 businesses.”
The plant, with more than 500 staff members, is an important employer and provider to the economy in Saxony Anhalt.
“I am particularly pleased about Trinseo’s commitment to research and development. Innovations are the basis for further growth, which we urgently need to continue the positive economic development in Saxony-Anhalt,” said minister president Dr Reiner Haseloff.
March 6, 2018
