“The new facility in Kamp-Lintfort will add additional capacity, increase opportunities for innovation and stimulate growth,” said Craig Morrison, Chairman, President and CEO. “By consolidating activities that had been decentralized, we will be able to better leverage diverse skill sets across multiple businesses and industry segments on behalf of our global customers. We have a strong track record of partnering with our customers, and the new technology center will further accelerate our ability to collaborate with customers on new product development initiatives.”

The new facility will house research and development activities including the Transportation Research and Application Center (TRAC), which develops technology solutions to enable growth of composites for the automotive industry. The Kamp-Lintfort facility will also increase Hexion’s process technology research and improve formulation development capabilities for coatings, civil engineering, aerospace composites and electrical casting applications. This new facility will complement Hexion’s high-tech lab dedicated to wind energy applications in Esslingen Germany, which is housed within a high-capacity specialty epoxy resin blending facility.

“We are looking forward to moving into a new research and development facility so that we can further support novel developments in strategic technologies, such as composites and waterborne coatings, and continue to foster an innovative culture,” said Jody Bevilaqua, Chief Operating Officer.

Modifications to the existing building and initial construction on the new facility are expected to begin immediately. The company plans to complete the project in mid-2018.

The new site at Dieprahm Technology Park is approximately 15 miles from Hexion’s existing facility in Duisburg.