The group plans to debottleneck the plant at Shelby in the US to increase production capacity by 40%

The group plans to debottleneck the plant at Shelby in the US to increase production capacity by 40%

Ticona has brought forward plans to increase liquid crystal polymer production capacity at its Shelby plant in the US. Global business director for Vectra LCP Mariellen Turano said: “As a result of an increase in global demand, we need to accelerate the increase in capacity to ensure we can continue to meet customer needs.”

Ticona originally announced its intention to expand the plant in 2005. Its plan now involves debottlenecking the facility, which would increase capacity by 40%, from 6,000tpa to 8,400tpa. LCPs are commonly used in high-precision thin-walled applications that are exposed to high temperatures.

• Ticona business manager Achim Hofmann will be exploring the latest technical developments and market trends in LCPs at EPN’s and PRW’s High Temperature Plastics conference this month. Other speakers at this high-level polymer event include: Kai Kallio, materials specialist at Volvo Cars; Howard Blum, director of market analyst Kline and Company; Debbie Maddock, non-metallics materials specialist at Rolls-Royce; and Shalendra Porwal, business development manager for advanced materials at US technology group Battelle.