WILMINGTON, DE - Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc., announced plans to invest approximately $89 million over the next three years to expand specialty chemical production at its manufacturing facility in Hopewell, VA.
The majority of the investment will be aimed at expanding production of two key product lines. Ashland said it will increase production of Natrosol hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), used as a thickener in latex paints, by 4,700 metric tons, or approximately 40 percent in Hopewell. The company also will expand capacity for Klucel hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), a high-value technology used to enable time-release delivery in pharmaceutical tablet binders and coatings and other applications, by approximately 50 percent.