In the French town of Serquigny, local producer Arkema (Colombes; www.arkema.com) is spending more money than originally announced on expanding thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) production (see Plasteurope.com of 25.01.2022). Global capacity for its Pebax brand materials is now set rise 40% by autumn of next year versus the previously intended 25%, Arkema said without citing tonnages.

Capacity is to rise 15% at the beginning of 2023 as a first step, then a further 25% in the third quarter. Part of this volume will be made available for the production of bio-based Pebax Rnew grades. Erwoan Pezron, head of the high-performance polymers division, justified the expansion with the increasing demand from sectors such as sports, consumer electronics, and medical technology. Further TPE investments are planned for Asia in the coming years, but Pezron provided no details.

Serquigny is Arkema’s second production site for TPE alongside the US facility in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. American capacity is 4,000 t/y, while available output in France is estimated at about a quarter of that, which would mean the expansion would increase it to about 3,000 t/y.