ExxonMobil doubles capacity for Vistamaxx at Texas plant

ExxonMobil Chemical Co. is adding a new line at its Baytown, Texas, complex that will produce 400,000 metric tons a year of its Vistamaxx-brand specialty elastomer, more than doubling its global capacity for the material.

The project is part of a $2 billion expansion project at Baytown that the company said will maximize the value of increased production from the Permian shale oil basin, the company said in a May news release.

In addition, ExxonMobil said in mid-May that it had completed the expansion of its Santoprene-brand thermoplastic vulcanizate facility in Wales.

The new Vistamaxx line in Baytown will be incorporated into the existing chemical plant, said Lyn Greenwood, the project manager for the expansion project. She said construction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021 with operations beginning in 2022.

"This investment shows our continued commitment to the market," Greenwood said.

She said the $2 billion Baytown project is in addition to ExxonMobil's "Growing the Gulf" initiative that it announced in 2017 and is aimed at building and expanding manufacturing facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The firm did not break out how much of the investment is targeted for the Vistamaxx line.

"Our substantial investments in the U.S. support ExxonMobil's long-term growth plans and will result in thousands more high-paying jobs," Darren Woods, ExxonMobil chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Through the billions of dollars that we're investing in the Permian Basin to increase oil production and the expansion of our operations along the Gulf Coast, our company is making significant, lasting contributions to the U.S. economy and the many communities where we operate."

ExxonMobil first introduced Vistamaxx into the market in 2004. Elastomers in the line are semi-crystalline performance polymers with tunable amorphous content that is compatible with other polyolefinic materials. The firm said Vistamaxx materials produce goods that offer higher levels of elasticity, softness and flexibility, which contribute to a reduction in materials used and increased performance.

The expansion will bring ExxonMobil's global capacity for Vistamaxx to 700,000 tons a year, according to Lauren Edwards, Americas market development manager for Vistamaxx. It also produces the elastomer at sites in Baton Rouge, La., and Singapore.

"We're doubling capacity because the market continues to grow and we're finding value for Vistamaxx polymers in various market segments to try to improve the innovation capabilities that our customers have," Edwards said.

Vistamaxx is used in such applications as adhesives, roofing, flooring, automotive, packaging films, hygiene products, masterbatches and goods that utilize a percentage of recycled material.

For example, Edwards said in roofing Vistamaxx is used as a blend component to support optimizing the cost of formulation, improving the installation of thermoplastic polyolefin or bitumen-modified roofing, and enhancing the performance of compounds.

In heavily filled mats—for automotive or other purposes—the elastomer is used to improve flexibility, crack resistance, filler dispersion and loading capabilities. "You're able to improve the amount of filler loading in those mats and still maintain the flexibility of them," she said.

ExxonMobil also promotes Vistamaxx in hot melt adhesives as an alternative polymer base in formulations that enable users to increase polymer loading, reduce oil filler and because of the lower density of the specialty polymer enable "high mileage," or the ability to use less of the adhesive to gain the same performance."As we've learned over time and continued to innovate with the product design, we've been able to help and support our customers in an even wider variety of applications than where we started in 2004," Edwards said.

IThe ExxonMobil official added that the newest investment in added capacity will enable continued innovation with the elastomer, including the development of new extensions within the line.

"We invented the Vistamaxx polymer products and launched them first to the market, and this (expansion) continues to reinforce the innovation capability in the polymer space that ExxonMobil has driven," she said. "We certainly believe the market demand for these types of polymers is needed and we continue to be committed to grow our capability to supply in line with that market demand."

Output from the new line in Baytown, Edwards said, will be part of its global supply plan "to make sure we're best serving customers regardless of where they are around the world."

The Baytown expansion also enables ExxonMobil to enter the market for linear alpha olefins specialty materials. A new unit in Baytown will have annual capacity of about 350,000 tons of LAO materials. LAOs are used in many applications, including polyethylene for the packaging market, high-performing engine and industrial oils, waxes and building blocks for surfactants.

ExxonMobil said the Baytown facility is the largest integrated petrochemical complex in the U.S. It was founded in 1919, is located on about 3,400 acres and includes a refinery, chemical plant, olefins plant, factory and a global technology center.

The Santoprene expansion at the ExxonMobil plant in Newport, Wales, doubled the plant's manufacturing capacity for the TPV and raised the company's global capacity for the material by 25 percent, ExxonMobil said in a May 13 statement. The project created about 35 full-time production jobs, the firm said.

The company didn't disclose total capacity for the TPVs.

Santoprene TPVs are fully vulcanized EPDM rubber in a thermoplastic matrix of polypropylene, offering processability of plastics in diverse applications. The materials can be extruded, molded or thermoformed easily, ExxonMobil said, noting that it also demonstrates resiliency, flexibility and resistance to heat, fluids and chemicals.

Considered as a lightweight and sustainable alternative to traditional materials, the TPVs are typically used in industries such as the automotive and consumer products. "ExxonMobil's high performance plastics help make automotive and consumer products lighter, resulting in improved fuel efficiency and higher performance, compared with products made with traditional materials," ExxonMobil Chemical President Karen McKee said in a statement.

ExxonMobil also manufactures Santoprene TPVs at a site in Pensacola, Fla.