US firm Invista to double nylon 6,6 polymer capacity to meet demand

26 Aug '21

3 min read

Pic: Invista

Invista Nylon Chemicals (China) Co has announced its plans to double the current nylon 6,6 polymer production at Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) and signed a memorandum of cooperation with SCIP this week. The new capacity will enable Invista to quickly respond to the growing demand for engineering plastics in automotive, electrical and other application fields.

Following a 40,000-ton/year capacity increase in 2020, this new increased production, with an investment of RMB 1.5 billion (renminbi), will double the plant capacity to 400,000 tons/year and strengthen Invista’s integrated nylon 6,6 value chain in China, according to the company.

“The need for nylon 6,6 polymer rose drastically in recent years. The estimated compound annual growth rate for nylon 6,6 through 2029 is approximately 2 per cent globally and 4 per cent for China,” the fibre, resin and intermediates company said in a statement. “We anticipate China's demand for nylon products will account for more than half of the total production and consumption of nylon in the Asia-Pacific region and is expected to become the world's largest nylon consumer.”

“The growing nylon 6,6 polymer demand in China and the Asia Pacific region has encouraged us to continue our investments over the past years. With this expanded capacity, we will be able to help our customers meet their growing demands for nylon products,” Pete Brown, Invista’s executive vice president of nylon polymer said in a press release.

Located at SCIP, the expanded production line will be equipped with six batch autoclaves and three continuous polymerisation lines. The additional capacity will support the development of engineering polymer, industrial and apparel segments, and satisfy the downstream application requirements for nylon 6,6 products and solutions, including stronger mechanical properties, higher temperature resistance, and higher heat resistance.

“We truly appreciate SCIP’s support for our ongoing investment in China and are excited to deepen cooperation to consolidate our nylon 6,6 value chain here. With the expanded capacity, we look forward to providing the supply of nylon 6,6 polymer that our customers need for their projects, and we hope to co-develop innovative solutions and applications with our customers and partners across the industries,” Angela Dou, director of intermediates, Asia, said.

Construction of the product lines is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022 and be in operation in first quarter of 2024, Invista further added. Supporting the expansion is Invista’s upcoming Asia Innovation Center, which will bring strengthened research and service capabilities to support downstream partners as they seize growth opportunities driven by innovation and high-quality development.

Together with the ongoing construction of the 400,000-ton/year ADN plant, Invista is committed to contributing to the transformation and upgrading of the local nylon industry.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (JL)

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