DAK Americas LLC plans to add 230 million pounds of polyester fiber capacity at its PET resin site in Bay St. Louis, Miss.
The expansion will create 86 new jobs and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2016, officials with Charlotte, N.C.-based DAK said in an Aug. 28 news release.
Polyester fibers made at the new site will be used in textiles and nonwoven applications, including some in the automotive market. It also will strengthen DAK's ability to supply fibers across the Americas, including the growing market in Mexico, officials added.
“DAK's ability to utilize … infrastructure already in place at its Pearl River site provides us with a unique opportunity to grow our fiber capacity and meet consumer demand with a very competitive investment,” president and CEO Jorge Young said in the release.
The selection of Bay St. Louis for the expansion came as a bit of a surprise. Some market watchers expected the new capacity to be built in Charleston, S.C., where DAK recently added almost 30 million pounds of fiber capacity.
DAK operates almost 1 billion pounds of annual PET resin capacity in Bay St. Louis. The firm acquired the site from Wellman Inc. in 2011.