MUNICH, Germany - Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its existing vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions production facilities in the United States. The Munich-based chemical company will add a new reactor with an annual capacity of 85,000 metric tons at its Calvert City, KY, site, investing around €50 million in the site’s capacity and infrastructure. This makes the complex the largest of its kind in the Americas. The new reactor is scheduled to come on-stream by mid-2015.

“Capacity expansion is essential if we are to meet our customers’ demand for our dispersions over the coming years,” explained Rudolf Staudigl, CEO of Wacker Chemie AG. “After extending our dispersions capacities at our sites in South Korea and China in the course of the last two years, we have now pushed ahead with expanding our production in the U.S., too. Thus, we will be able to keep pace with future market growth and strengthen our leading position in VAE dispersions,” Staudigl said.

WACKER has further added an ethylene pipeline to the Calvert City facility for increasing the long-term reliability of raw material supply at the site.

With over 50 years of experience in the development and production of VAE copolymer dispersions, WACKER is a global technology and market leader in this field. VINNAPAS^® dispersions are popular binders in the construction, paints, coatings and adhesives industries. The dispersions find application in the formulation of low-odor and low-emission indoor paints.