The Coating Resins business of Arkema (Colombes, France; www.arkema.com) has expanded acrylic resin manufacturing capacity in Araçariguama, Brazil by 60%. The new reactor will enable manufacturing of Arkema’s product chemistries previously unavailable in the region.
With the startup of the new reactor, Arkema has improved the company’s latex production in Brazil, including manufacturing, logistics and shipping, storage, filtration and the capabilities of the reactor itself.
“These improvements will enable us to begin migrating production capabilities and product lines currently available in other parts of the world to the facility in Brazil,” Eric Schmitt, president, Arkema Quimica Ltda. Brazil, explained. “We can now provide customers local manufacturing of innovative, market-leading products, produced in a modern, automated facility with a focus on consistent, repeatable quality, and environmental responsibility.”
Products manufactured at the plant will now include a much wider range of chemistries, including 100% acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic, vinyl VeoVa and polyvinyl acetate (PVA). These products are used across many traditional and emerging applications in industries, such as architectural coatings, industrial coatings, pressure sensitive adhesives and construction adhesives, textiles, sealants and waterproofing membranes.
As production ramps up, Arkema will begin to introduce new products based on demand and market potential.