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Ingevity starts up expanded production of caprolactone polyols in Louisiana

| By Mary Bailey

Ingevity Corp. (North Charleston, W.V.) announced the company has launched new Capa polyols production and produced the first commercial quantities of its high performance caprolactone polyols in the United States (U.S.). The completion of the company’s expansion at its facility in DeRidder, Louisiana, increases Ingevity’s global capacity for producing polyols by 40% and positions the company to better meet increasing demand for the Capa portfolio and more effectively serve its customers by reducing global lead times.

“Adding production of Capa polyols in the U.S. strengthens Ingevity’s ability to respond to increasing demand and demonstrates our commitment to offering innovative solutions for our growing customer base in the region,” said Ingevity senior vice president, Performance Chemicals and president, Engineered Polymers, Steve Hulme. “The completion of the Capa expansion is a great achievement for our teams in DeRidder and Warrington that bolsters capabilities for Engineered Polymers and our broader Performance Chemicals segment.”

The investment in Ingevity’s DeRidder plant includes installation of monomer storage capacity to not only support the manufacturing of polyol derivatives, but also to streamline and enable bulk monomer shipments to U.S. customers.

“We are excited to add capacity, which we expect will allow us to support our global customers with increased levels of service and reduced lead times,” said Ingevity’s global commercial director, Joel Neale. “We believe the increased availability of our Capa polyols will also enable our customers to capture growth opportunities in emerging markets.”

Ingevity’s DeRidder plant has been in operation since 1977, employs 187 people and includes production of emulsifiers, rosin and tall oil fatty acid used in a variety of applications such as adhesives, asphalt additives, publication inks, metalworking fluids, drilling fluid additives, oilfield production chemicals, paints and coatings. Ingevity also operates a polycaprolactone production facility in Warrington, United Kingdom.