At its site in Premnitz, polyamide compounder Domo Engineering Plastics (Premnitz / Germany; www.domochemicals.com) is expanding capacity for its "Domamid" and "Econamid"-brand PA 6 and PA 6.6 compounds by 20,000 t/y to a total of 50,000 t/y. The first line with around 7,000 t/y capacity will be coming onstream in mid-2019, while the following two lines, each of which accounts for around one third of the additional capacity, will be added in the course of the following two years, a company spokeswoman told Plasteurope.com. The payroll will then also increase by 20 to a total of 70 employees in 2021.

The expansion is focused on PA 6 compounds for automotive applications. "The automotive segment is one of our priorities. This investment will allow us to optimise our support for German OEMs and tier 1 suppliers," said Ludovic Tonnerre, global business manager at Domo Engineering Plastics. The PA compounds offer the industry alternatives to metals like aluminium for lightweight vehicle construction, the spokeswoman said. Domamid is made from raw materials, while Econamid is compounded from post-industrial materials (90% fibres and 10% films).

Domo Engineering Plastics, a business unit of Domo Chemicals (Leuna / Germany), opened an innovation centre in Mumbai in July 2018, two years after it had set up a sales office in the Indian metropolis – see Plasteurope.com of 15.07.2018. The centre is intended primarily for the Indian automotive industry. Domamid and Econamid for the Indian market are produced in Pune, Maharashtra.

In June 2018, Domo Chemicals and the "Raffinerie für Mitteldeutschland" (refinery for central Germany) operated by French oil and gas group Total (Paris / France; www.total.com) inaugurated benzene production and extraction plants for caprolactam production in Leuna – see Plasteurope.com of 08.06.2018.

At the "Fakuma" trade fair (www.fakuma-messe.de), the company also presented a lightweight-construction product range that included the PPA-based "Thermec ZED" for 3D printing and Domamid-based polymers for compound and film applications as well as for PA 6.6 substitution. Also new in the portfolio are the carbon fibre-reinforced "Econamid AIR" and "Econamid ORO".

In addition to the automotive industry, products from Domo Engineering Plastics are used in E&E, construction and furnishings, industrial machines, hydraulics and sport and leisure.