Press release
Performance Materials
November 12, 2018

Evonik commissions new multi-layer coextrusion plant for PMMA flat sheets

  • Production plant successfully launched
  • Customer sampling has begun
  • Multi-layer sheets in large format enable new applications and market access

Darmstadt/Weiterstadt (Germany). Following mechanical completion of the facility, Evonik has announced the official start-up of its new multi-layer coextrusion plant for PMMA flat films. The first selected customers are now receiving samples.

In Weiterstadt, 20 kilometers south of Frankfurt, Germany, the company is now producing multi-layer films with a width of 2,700 mm – the largest available format worldwide for flat polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) films. Evonik has invested a double-digit million amount in the Weiterstadt site and has created a range of new jobs.

“With this plant, we are investing in a market segment that continues to show positive development and promises strong growth potential. We are also underlining our claim as an innovation leader in acrylic-based products,” says Martin Krämer, head of the Acrylic Products Business Line. The new plant extends the currently installed capacities and, due to the format width and the multi layer coextrusion facility, it offers additional attractive potential.

“This investment is a systematic expansion of our portfolio of custom-tailored specialty sheets and it enables us to offer our customers new application opportunities,” says Michael Enders, who is responsible for the film business at Acrylic Products.

In particular, the manufacturers of facade materials will benefit from the new plant. Markets with above average growth, such as countries in Asia, are looking for special quality features to cope with often extreme weather conditions.

“Our base PMMA material, supplemented with one or more additional functional layers, is the ideal material for such application cases. In more moderate climate zones, our products have already been used successfully for many years. With the coextruded PMMA films, we are creating access to new markets for our customers and are enabling more growth,” Enders points out.

PMMA films are also used in microfluidic devices, in window profile wrapping and in the graphics industry. These application areas also stand to benefit from the newly installed plant as here, too, the demand for exceptionally durable products continues to grow.

Image caption:
Production plant launched for the world’s widest-ever PMMA flat Sheets.


About Evonik
Evonik is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. The focus on more specialty businesses, customer-orientated innovative prowess and a trustful and performance-oriented corporate culture form the heart of Evonik’s corporate strategy. They are the lever for profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company. Evonik benefits specifically from its customer proximity and leading market positions. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world with more than 36,000 employees. In fiscal 2017, the enterprise generated sales of €14.4 billion and an operating profit (adjusted EBITDA) of €2.36 billion.

About Performance Materials
The Performance Materials Segment is managed by Evonik Performance Materials GmbH. The segment focuses its global activities on developing and manufacturing polymer materials and intermediates, especially for use in agriculture and in the rubber and plastics industry. In 2017, the segment’s roughly 4,400 employees generated sales about €3.8 billion.

Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.