ExxonMobil to expand UK speciality elastomers capacity
21 Jul 2016
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Houston, Texas – ExxonMobil is planning to expand its speciality elastomers plant in Newport, Wales, in a bid to increase its high-performance elastomers’ capacity globally, the company announced on 20 July.
The project, expected to complete in late 2017, will add an extra 25 percent to ExxonMobil’s global capacity to manufacture Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanisate (TPV), high-performance elastomers used for automotive, industrial and consumer applications.
Stating that ExxonMobil was the world’s “foremost supplier of engineered thermoplastic elastomers”, speciality elastomers and butyl rubber vice president at ExxonMobil Chemical said Kurt Aerts, said the investment aimed to help the company maintain its "leadership position".
Santoprene elastomers perform similarly to vulcanised rubber while they process like plastic for applications in diverse markets.
Santoprene TPV can be extruded, moulded or thermoformed easily and economically into a variety of shapes, while being resilient, flexible and resistant to heat, fluids and chemicals, according to ExxonMobil.
Santoprene elastomers provide manufacturing flexibility, ease of processing and consistent product durability. ExxonMobil’s Vistalon synthetic rubber is a critical raw material in Santoprene TPV.
ExxonMobil’s speciality plants in Newport, Wales and Pensacola, Florida, supply Santoprene TPV to customers around the world. Vistalon rubber raw material is produced at ExxonMobil plants in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Notre Dame de Gravenchon, France.
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