German speciality chemicals company Lanxess (Cologne; www.lanxess.com) has inaugurated its new 20,000 t/y PA and PBT plant in Porto Feliz / Brazil. The facility, which came at a price tag of EUR 20m, will turn out “Durethan” and “Pocan” high-performance plastics, used among others as metal replacement in the automotive industry. Lanxess had originally planned to commission the plant – which creates 50 new jobs – in mid-2013 – see Plasteurope.com of 11.10.2011.

Output of the facility is to go towards meeting rising local demand for plastics used in the automotive sector. As the world’s fourth largest automotive market, the Brazilian government has put in place a programme called “Inovar-Auto” that offers fiscal incentives for companies active in the sector. Durethan and Pocan are suitable for use in a range of vehicle parts, including door handles, bumpers, front ends, cable connectors and cooling parts.

Commenting on the investment, Lanxess Brazil CEO Marcelo Lacerda said, “We aim to transform the Porto Feliz site into a major specialty chemicals hub with the latest technologies for our customers in Brazil and Latin America”. The German company has a workforce of 310 at the site. Lanxess operates a total of seven sites in Brazil, with an overall employee count of about 1,100. The country has become increasingly important to its business, accounting for about 9% of total global sales in 2013.