OBERHAUSEN, Germany - Oxea, the global chemical company, announced that due to continued strong growth in strategic, high-value segments, the company will build a new carboxylic acids unit in Oberhausen, Germany. The facility will come on stream by late 2012. The new unit will boost Oxea’s global carboxylic acids production capacity by an additional 40 percent on top of the already announced capacity expansion projects becoming effective the end of 2011. The main driver for these capacity increases is a growing demand for synthetic fatty acids in segments such as energy efficient lubricant esters and specialty phthalate-free plasticizers.

“Oxea is backward integrated in carboxylic acids value chains, based on its own hydroformylation technologies. This means that we supply our acids production units with precursors that we produce ourselves. This strategy makes us more independent and improves Oxea’s supply flexibility,” said Martina Flöel, spokesperson for the Executive Board of Oxea. “The building of a new production unit supports an important aspect of our strategy: the expansion in growth markets and in Oxo Derivatives."