Solvay SA has completed construction on a new production line making thermoplastic composites at its Piedmont, S.C., site.
In a Sept. 16 news release, officials with Solvay in Belgium said that at full capacity, the new line will add more than 30 jobs at the 27,000-square-foot Greenville County plant.
Officials added that the project "represents a major milestone in" Solvay's efforts to industrialize its composite capacity. A key driver for the facility is growing demand from energy companies, supported by increasing aerospace and automotive demand, they said.
The new line will be able to make unidirectional composite tape from a range of high-performance polymers including polyvinylidene fluoride, polyphenylene sulfide and polyetherether ketone.
"The TPC [thermoplastic composite] solutions that will be manufactured in our Greenville facility will help our energy, aerospace and automotive customers achieve better environmental responsibility by making cars and planes lighter, thereby reducing emissions," growth platform president Mike Finelli said.
He added that the new capacity and differentiated technologies "will allow us to expand with our customers as TPCs gain momentum in a growing number of applications and play an important role in the energy transition."
Other recent growth moves for Solvay include added capacity for composite tape in Anaheim, Calif., and the opening of new research and innovation centers in Brussels and in Alpharetta, Ga.
Late last year, Solvay renewed a long-term supply agreement with aerospace giant The Boeing Co. for composites and other materials. The agreement with Chicago-based Boeing covers all Boeing commercial and defense aircraft programs.
Solvay supplies Boeing with multiple materials, including thermoset and thermoplastic composites, surfacing films and adhesives, from locations in the U.S., Europe and China. Boeing uses Solvay materials in many applications, including primary and secondary structures, interiors and surfacing.
Solvay is a global supplier of plastics and specialty chemicals. Solvay employs more than 23,000 worldwide and posted sales of $10.8 billion in 2020.