Lahnstein, Germany-based Röchling Sustaplast, a division of Röchling Industrial, has now completed the Sustadur expansion project with the successful start-up of new extrusion lines installed for the production of its Sustadur PET material. The added capacity will improve the availability and shorten delivery times for this engineering resin.
In 2019, Röchling added more than 3,000 square meters of floor space to its existing production hall in Lahnstein.
The 2 million euro ($2.3 million) investment in capacity expansion is a response to the continued strong demand for its Sustadur PET, which is available from the company as sheets and round rods in various sizes.
The PET business volume has grown steadily in recent years, noted Mustafa Altintas, managing director and global technical director for thermoplastics. The expansion will "allow us to respond even more flexibly and quickly to our customers' requests," he said.
This latest investment is part of an ongoing upgrade at the Lahnstein site, in which Röchling has invested over 40 million euros ($47.3 million) since 2010. The site is the division’s competence center for high-performance plastics.
“As a leading manufacturer of high-performance plastics, we have continuously expanded our modern machinery and facilities. We recently opened a new logistics center and expanded the existing areas in production and logistics halls in order to better address our customers' requirements,” said Franz Lübbers, member of the Röchling Group executive board and in charge of the Industrial division.
Röchling’s Sustadur PET has a high dimensional stability, is very wear-resistant and has very low water absorption. Typical applications for the material include technical components such as guide and bearing elements or piston casings.
Röchling Sustaplast SE & Co. KG employs more than 330 employees and 29 trainees. Important target industries for its products include railway engineering, oil & gas, the electronics industry, mechanical engineering, the food industry, renewable energies and aviation.