PPG Industries, headquartered in Pittsburgh and one of the world’s leading coatings and specialty products companies, has planned to expand its global production capacity for precipitated silica at its manufacturing facilities in Delfzijl, Netherlands and Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The expansion will increase the capacity by over 18,000 t per year and will help to meet the increasing worldwide demand for high-quality precipitated silica.
PPG is one of the first manufacturers to bring synthetic precipitated silica to the market. Silica products division manufactures precipitated silica for footwear, industrial rubber, coatings, carrier, battery separator, tire and silicone applications. In addition, the company also produces TESLIN microporous sheet material that is used for label, tag, in-mold graphic, specialty print and card applications. This microporous substrate is also used for technology-focused applications like radio frequency identification (RFID) labels and cards and e-Passports.
Kevin Braun, General Manager of PPG’s silica products, stated that the expansion projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year 2012. The current investments show the company’s commitment to the precipitated silica market.