Momentive builds LSR centre in Leverkusen

ERJ staff report (DR)

Albany, New York - Momentive Performance Materials has started building a liquid silicone rubber (LSR) production unit in Leverkusen, Germany, already a major production site for a number of the company's silicone and sealant product lines.

The facility will allow for the increased production of LSR, needed to meet growing demand from global customers and emerging markets, the firm said in a 25 Oct announcement. The first phase of the project will be completed by end of 2010, it added. No details of the capacity involved or scale of the investment were released.

“Providing customers around the world with high quality LSR is vital to our elastomer business,” said Robert Gnann, senior vice president and managing director silicones for Momentive's activities in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and India. “In addition to meeting growing capacity requirements, this investment can help ensure continued consistency, quality and purity of the liquid silicone rubber we produce, which contribute to our leadership position in the global LSR market,” he added.

Full automation and state-of-the-art process control will continue to ensure that the highest quality standards are maintained in the production of Momentive's LSR offerings, the firm's statement continued.

“By steadily investing in our LSR capabilities, we can continue to provide customers around the world with the advanced technology they need to build on their success in different product lines as well as capitalise on new market opportunities,” said Ian Moore, senior vice president and general manager silicones Americas, for Momentive.

Over the course of the past two years, Momentive has made several innovations in elastomer technology that have fuelled demand for LSR products. These include a highly transparent LSR (Silopren LSR 7000 series) that can replace thermoplastics in specific optical applications; a fully fluorinated LSR that exhibits high resistance to fuels and flex fuels; a fibre-reinforced LSR with unique physical properties; and a silver-based antimicrobial LSR (StatSil antimicrobial elastomers), that can help prevent the spread of microbial infections from medical devices to the human body.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Press release from Momentive