MOBILE, AL – Evonik Industries inaugurated its $10 million ROHACELL facility in Mobile, AL. The new ROHACELL rigid polymethacrylimide foam production plant – the first outside Europe – was built over the past 12 months and created 26 new jobs. The new plant follows a strategic decision by Evonik to bring its products closer to customers, thus reducing delivery times and enhancing customer service.

ROHACELL is used in demanding composite sandwich structural applications in markets such as aerospace, medical, automotive, wind energy, mass transportation, marine and others.

Evonik also announced it is completing the technical equipment that will be part of a large integrated production site for methacrylates at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai. The project is part of the expansion of worldwide production capacity for thermoplastic methacrylic resins at Evonik.

The products manufactured at the new plant will be used for industrial coatings, such as marine, container paints and plastics coatings, but will also act as binders in printing inks and ceramic transfer lacquers. The plant is due to go into operation in the second half of 2009.