In the final days of 2011, DSM Dyneema (Urmond / The Netherlands; www.dyneema.com) – part of Dutch life-science group DSM (Sittard; www.dsm.com) – announced the closure of its production site in Flaach / Switzerland. “It is a very small site and the operational costs for a separate development facility have become unacceptable, especially in the current economic circumstances,” Gerard de Reuver, president of DSM Dyneema, explained the decision. A total of 25 workers will be affected by the closure, with DSM saying it would support their search for alternative employment options. It remains unclear when exactly the factory’s doors will shut for good.

DSM had acquired the Flaach site in 2007 and has since been producing and developing its ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) tape here. Claimed to be the world’s strongest fibre, “Dyneema” is found in a number of applications, including the shipping industry, in safety gloves for metalworks as well as in bullet resistant armour, among others.

Aside from Flaach, DSM Dyneema also produces UHMW-PE tape in Herleen / The Netherlands as well as Greenville, North Carolina / USA. At the latter location, the group is about to inaugurate a new tape manufacturing facility, DSM said.