Polybutylene Terephthalate Capacity Increase in the Netherlands

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). A joint venture of DSM Engineering Plastics (Sittard, Netherlands) and Ticona GmbH (Kelsterbach, Germany) is moving ahead with plans to construct a new polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) unit addition (PEC 75000082) at DSM's existing production site in Emmen, Netherlands. The new unit will produce approximately 50,000 metric tons a year and will employ EMS Inventa-Fischer's (Berlin, Germany) process technology. The cost of constructing the unit is estimated at $75 million for equipment, construction and commissioning. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2004 with a targeted completion date during the second half of 2005.

DSM currently produces 30,000 metric tons a year of polybutylene terephthalate at Emmen, a site that DSM purchased from Akzo Nobel almost ten years ago. Ticona also has a plant that produces polyethylene terephthalate at an approximate capacity of 60,000 metric tons a year in Shelby, North Carolina.

EMS Inventa-Fischer's PBT process technology consists of a two-reactor, continuous polymerization application and a solid-state post-condensation phase. This process produces a high-grade of PBT is resistant to intense heat, extreme durability and noted for its electrical properties. PBT is mainly used in electrical engineering and the automotive industry.