Evonik Starts Construction of New Polyamide 12 Complex in Marl; Invests Over 400 Million Euros
Evonik has officially begun construction on its largest investment to date in Germany. A ceremony, which was also attended by customers, employees, and representatives from the world of politics, signaled the launch of the polyamide 12 project in Marl, Germany.
The specialty chemicals company Evonik is expanding capacity for polyamide 12 (PA 12) by more than 50 % at its largest site in the world. The project will complement existing PA 12 production there with additional plants for the polymer and its precursors. The startup is scheduled for 2021. Armin Laschet, the minister-president of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Christian Kullmann, the chairman of the executive board of Evonik Industries, stood in the front row as over 200 shovels were planted in the ground at the construction site in the middle of Marl Chemical Park.
When speaking at the ceremony, Armin Laschet pointed out the special significance of investing over $ 440 million in Germany, and especially in the northern part of the Ruhr region. According to him, the investment shows that North Rhine-Westphalia was the number one chemical location in Germany and could compete at a global level.
Christian Kullmann highlights the significance of the new plant: “This is the biggest single investment our company has made in Germany. We’re building this plant because we want to continue to grow with innovative specialty chemical products. With our high-performance polymer PA 12, we can supply global strategic growth markets such as 3D printing. But also in the automotive industry, our light-weight and long-lasting plastic make an important contribution to resource efficiency.”
Innovations are also the business of the invited startups and of the digitalization projects, which Claus Rettig, chairman of the management board of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH, briefly introduced to those in attendance. “We want to become faster and more flexible when it comes to developing new, customized polymers to help our customers achieve strong growth. We need new technologies to do that, which is why we’ve taken consistent steps toward utilizing artificial intelligence,” says Rettig.
Source: chemeurope.com