Plastics and specialty chemicals maker Röhm GmbH has "significantly expanded" production capacity of acrylic compounds at its plant in Wallingford, Conn.
A Röhm spokesman told Plastics News that the expansion will increase the site’s annual production capacity by more than 25 percent.
In a news release, officials with Röhm in Darmstadt, Germany, said that the expansion was done "to further strengthen the market position of [Röhm's] specialty molding compounds globally."
They added the expansion was done by modifying an existing production line at the site, and the added capacity will provide customers with faster delivery and will allow the firm to meet increasing demand.
"Röhm is committed to supplying automotive, medical and other specialty markets with the highest quality products and service offerings, not only in America but also globally," Thomas Spagnuolo, molding compounds vice president, said.
Acrylic products made by Röhm are sold under the Plexiglas brand name in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia and as the Acrylite brand in the Americas. The Wallingford site employs more than 50 and operates several production lines making specialty acrylic molding compounds. The site is also a production center for Cyrolite-brand transparent acrylic-based resins that are used in medical applications.
Global medical segment director Thom Hemler said the investment "is also part of the growth strategy we have been putting in place" and that it "demonstrates our commitment to continuously invest to support our customers in particular with higher quality and regulation standards."
Röhm is the only global manufacturer of methyl methacrylate (MMA) feedstock and acrylic resins, complete with downstream compounding, in Asia, Europe and North America, molding compounds head Siamak Djafarian said.
"This makes Röhm a strategic and reliable partner for customers around the world," he added.
Röhm is the European market leader in acrylic molding compounds and ranks second on a global scale, according to company data. The firm employs almost 3,000 worldwide and operates nine production sites. Röhm posted sales of around $1.7 billion in 2023.