ExxonMobil said strong demand and good plant performance prompted decision

Strong demand for ExxonMobil’s Santoprene TPE coupled with good performance at the plant is prompting the group to restart a mothballed line at its Newport facility in South Wales.

Production from the line is being phased in gradually at the site, one of two major worldwide manufacturing units for the material, according to Mary Ahner, vice president Ethylene Elastomers.

The last major expansion at the Newport site was completed in 1997, but Santoprene consumption continues to grow at its established levels and the UK plant contributing to its success.

“There are a lot of opportunities to develop new products from the plant,” Ahner told PRW.com this morning in London. Santoprene, wholly owned by ExxonMobil Chemical since 2002, forms a key element in the portfolio headed by Ahner, which also encompasses the new 90,000tpa metallocene catalyst-based ethylene elastomers plant in Baton Rouge Louisiana.