Start-up of the project, which adds 150,000tpa, is expected in the fourth quarter

Start-up of the project, which adds 150,000tpa, is expected in the fourth quarter

GE Advanced Materials has completed construction work on the second phase of its polycarbonate investment programme at Cartagena and is now preparing for start-up in the fourth quarter. The LX2 project will add 150,000tpa of polycarbonate to the Spanish site, doubling the capacity put in during the first stage. It will be followed by the construction of a new plant for high-performance engineering polymer Ultem polyetherimide; start-up is planned for 2007.

European president of GE Advanced Materials Plastics Golnar Motahari Pour told a press briefing in London this week the investment, costing an initial $135m (E110m), will provide GE’s first European manufacturing site for the polymer. The company also demonstrated a raft of new product introductions under the X Generation banner; several are based on new copolymer technology.

Described as providing a new generation of performance, the launch spans most of the key polymers supplied by GE Advanced Materials, which now takes in GEP along with the company’s silicones and quartz businesses.