CREANOVA formally dedicated its new DYNAPOL® polyester-resins manufacturing plant at the company's Theodore, AL, manufacturing complex.

THEODORE, AL — CREANOVA Inc., a North American subsidiary of Degussa-Hüls Corp., formally dedicated its new DYNAPOL® polyester-resins manufacturing plant at the company's Theodore, AL, manufacturing complex. The company said the facility represents a major expansion of its production capabilities for resins used primarily in coil coatings for the appliance, automotive, building-products, can, and industrial-coatings markets.

In ceremonies attended by CREANOVA and Degussa-Hüls AG executives, customers and media representatives, the company said the plant will help meet growing demand in North America in the markets for high-performance polyester resins for coil coatings. The $20.5-million plant has an annual production capacity of 15,000 metric tons per year, and recently began manufacturing five grades of DYNAPOL resins.

"The NAFTA market for these polyester resins has been growing and continues to grow," said Klaus Burzin, worldwide president of the CREANOVA Division of the Degussa-Hüls Group, based in Germany. "Our investment in this plant takes us from being a leader in Western Europe to being a global leader." Burzin said CREANOVA's polyester-resin plants in Witten and Marl, Germany, are operating at full capacity, and said the new U.S. plant will supply markets in North America. The facility also will export products to some overseas markets, particularly South America, he said.

The new resin plant represents the latest in a series of expansions at the Alabama site, located near Mobile, AL. The company earlier built production facilities for isophorone and its derivatives, including isophorone diamine (IPDI), trimethylhexamethylene diamine (TMDI) and polyisocyanates.