Momentive Performance Materials Inc. (Waterford, N.Y.; www.momentive.com) has acquired the operating assets of Sea Lion Technology, Inc., located in Texas City, Texas. Sea Lion is a contract chemical manufacturer that has worked with Momentive to produce silane products, including NXT silane, for more than ten years. The Texas City facility will continue to manufacture NXT silane as an integrated part of Momentive’s global supply chain, joining Momentive’s 24 other manufacturing facilities located around the world dedicated to supply excellence.
This acquisition, together with the recently announced investment in a new NXT silane manufacturing facility in Leverkusen, Germany, is part of Momentive’s strategy to continuously improve NXT silane availability and supply reliability for tire manufacturers globally. “With increasing global demand for low rolling resistance tires, NXT silane products are being sought out for their ability to help improve tire performance while easily integrating with manufacturer’s production methods. Producing NXT silane in the US, along with plans to bring on new capacity in Europe, will help Momentive ensure we can serve the needs of our customers no matter where their operations are located,” said Rich Owins, Vice President of Momentive Silanes.
In February 2016, Momentive announced plans to invest approximately $30 million to expand its NXT silane manufacturing capacity in Leverkusen, Germany. The NXT silane manufacturing facility in Leverkusen is expected to begin production in late 2017.