The move increases the number of fibre lines at Greenville to ten

Royal DSM is investing in new capacity for Dyneema high performance polyethylene fibre at its plant in Greenville, North Carolina. The investment, amounting to “several tens of millions of USD”, will bring the number of fibre lines at the facility to ten. Construction should start before the end of the year and come on stream early in 2008.

DSM says demand for Dyneema has exceeded capacity for several years in a row. Its applications range from incorporation into ropes, cables and nets for the fishing industry to fine yarns for sporting goods and use in bullet-resistant clothing.

The Dyneema investment closely follows DSM’s announcement of a €100m outlay on new manufacturing facilities for Stanyl polyamide 46 and Stamylan UH ultra-high molecular weight PE, the raw material for production of Dyneema.