Müller Kunststoffe GmbH (Lichtenfels, Germany), the German arm of the Hexpol TPE (www.hexpoltpe.com) group, has announced plans to expand capacity with an additional production line for thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). The new line is expected to come on stream in the first quarter of 2014 and will increase TPE production by around 4,800 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), bringing the capacity of the Hexpol TPE group, which also includes the ELASTO businesses in Sweden, UK and China, to more than 65,000 m.t./yr.
In addition to the new production line, the investment also includes plans for the construction of a new 600 m2 building to expand the technical center at Müller Kunststoffe’s main Lichtenfels site. The technical center will be used for the development of customized thermoplastics. It will house the R&D, product safety, analytics and process technology departments for Müller Kunststoffe. Construction of the new building is forecast to be completed by September 2014.