Vertellus Specialties (Indianapolis, Ind.; www.vertellus.com), a global manufacturer of fine and specialty chemicals, has expanded DEET (diethyl toluamide) production capacity at its Greensboro, N.C. site. Initiated in January 2016, the completed expansion boosts DEET production capacity by 80%.
DEET is widely recognized and frequently recommended for its efficacy as an active ingredient in consumer mosquito and tick repellents. While DEET has been marketed for many years, recent outbreaks of the Zika virus prompted Vertellus to increase its production resources.
The capacity expansion accommodates the current surge in demand for DEET while positioning Vertellus to respond to future demand peaks driven by seasonal change and disease outbreaks around the globe. Given the fundamental uncertainty surrounding the duration of demand driven by the Zika outbreak, we approached the capacity expansion with the goals of increasing both capacity and flexibility.” said Bradley Buehler, business director at Vertellus.
The expansion at the Greensboro site positions Vertellus to quickly ramp up production of several other products manufactured at the facility to adjust to changing market conditions. “The enhancements enable Vertellus to remain flexible and allocate production resources to manufacture other offerings when current market demand for DEET returns to more typical levels,” said Buehler.
“Since January, we have been steadily expanding our capacity at the Greensboro site to meet unprecedented customer demand triggered by the Zika outbreak in the Americas. The expansion not only increases our nameplate capacity by 80%, but significantly boosts our flexibility and speed of response to meet future demand for DEET and other products,” said Buehler. “We have long been known in the industry as the largest and most flexible supplier of DEET and these upgrades will further enhance our ability to meet customers’ current and emerging needs.”