Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.; www.eastman.com) announced a planned expansion of its Performance Films manufacturing capacity in Martinsville, Virginia. The capacity expansion is expected to be complete in late 2017 and will increase capacity for both paint protection films and window films to support the continued growth of the LLumar and Suntek brands. The expansion is Eastman’s largest film expansion to date and will be a state-of-the-art facility that will produce high-performance films for the automotive and architectural markets. The expansion will provide additional high-quality jobs for the Martinsville Henry County community. This project is in addition to the $40 million investment that was announced in September of 2013.
“This expansion positions Eastman to meet the great growth in demand for window and paint protection films we’re seeing from our customers around the world,” said Travis Smith, vice president and general manager of Eastman’s Performance Films business. “This investment further solidifies Eastman’s commitment to the window and paint protection films markets and to making our manufacturing site in Henry County a state-of-the-art facility that produces the world’s highest quality films products.”
“We see exciting growth potential for our portfolio of films and our dealer network,” said Darrell Reed, Performance Films commercial director for Americas, Europe, Middle East & Africa. “We are making these investments in product innovation, manufacturing capacity, and marketing and support services to help our customers provide high-quality products to meet the needs of consumers and ultimately to allow our customers to further differentiate and grow their business.”