Hexion Holdings Corp. (Columbus, Ohio) is strategically strengthening its manufacturing footprint in support of its ArmorBuilt Fire Protection product through an expansion of its Missoula, Montana site.
To meet the continued strong demand, Hexion previously announced two capacity expansions at its Portland, Oregon manufacturing site in 2021. The Missoula site expansion will enable Hexion to significantly increase its capacity to serve customers more easily in the Western United States and beyond, which are areas prone to wildfires. The new capacity is expected to come online in fourth quarter of 2022.
Hexion’s ArmorBuilt Fire Protection product offers a durable, fire mitigation safeguard for securing critical infrastructure. The state-of-the-art smart material that is triggered by heat protects a renewably sourced power infrastructure – wooden utility poles – while substantially minimizing the cost of disruption and repair. ArmorBuilt has also passed two industry approved wildfire simulation burn tests for fire resistance With its insulating and self-healing properties, ArmorBuilt provides a safe and reliable burn-prevention material for a variety of industries that are potentially affected by fires, including wildfires.
“This geographic expansion underscores the strong market acceptance of this much-needed product that focuses on protecting critical infrastructure from fires,” said Sanjeev Rastogi, Senior Vice President, Global Resins. “Hexion has been providing high-performing adhesives for decades. We initially leveraged this expertise to develop a fire-retardant solution for more sustainable wooden utility poles and are actively developing additional applications for a variety of industries. For example, we expect that ArmorBuilt can play a critical role in fire hardening protection for other critical infrastructure, as well as several residential and commercial applications. Going forward, we remain committed to expanding our portfolio and investing in innovative products that focus on improving safety and sustainability while expanding our manufacturing footprint to accommodate this growth.”