Materials firm LG Chem has opened a customer solution center in Ravenna, Ohio.
An opening ceremony was held at the center Aug. 28. In a news release, officials with LG Chem global headquarters in Seoul said the center "is dedicated to providing personalized support to [its] customers across North America."
The center will provide technical solutions for product development, quality improvement and productivity enhancement, they added.
"We believe our customers are at the core of our business," CEO Shin Hak-Cheol said in a statement. "We are committed to improving, inspiring and transforming the lives of our customers in every possible way."
Construction of the center began in September 2021. The site represents an investment of more than $50 million. The 27,000-square-foot building covers three floors and is equipped with mass-production extrusion and injection machinery.
LG Chem opened an ABS compounding plant at the same site in Ravenna in May. That unit has annual production capacity of almost 70 million pounds.
Officials with LG Chem said North America accounts for 10 percent of global ABS demand. The region also has a strong preference for local companies and products. ABS demand is growing in North America because of gains in the automotive and building materials industries.
LG Chem now operates customer centers in South Korea, China, Germany and the U.S. The firm makes a wide range of plastics and specialty chemicals. In 2023, LG Chem posted sales of almost $42 billion. The firm is committed to reaching carbon-neutral growth by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.