Ticona To Boost Acetal Production

Ticona, the technical polymers business of Celanese AG, announced it will increase the production of Celcon® acetal copolymer in North American to 102,000 tons per year from 86,000 tons per year by the end of 2004. The expansion involves a multimillion dollar de-bottlenecking project at the company’s plant in Bishop, Texas and is intended to meet the projected need for acetal in 2005 and beyond.

“As the world’s polyacetal leader, we’re seeing strong and ongoing demand for Celcon acetal copolymer in a broad range of markets including traditional uses in the auto, industrial, appliance and medical sectors,” says Bob Engle, North America Business Line Director, “and a growing call for our newer grades, such as those that provide lower gloss for improved appearance, greater electrostatic dissipation and less wear.”

“The expansion of the Bishop plant, which will raise our capacity there by about 19 percent, is part of a global initiative to invest in this business that also includes participation in the construction of an acetal plant in China.”

Ticona supplies acetal copolymer under the Celcon® trade name in the Americas and as Hostaform® in Europe. Celcon and Hostaform acetal copolymers are poly-oxymethylenes (POMs) having high crystallinity and provide excellent strength, stiffness, toughness and lubricity over a broad range of temperatures and chemical environments. Rod and slab stock made from these materials are easily machined. The uses of these acetal copolymers extend across many applications and markets, including transportation, industrial, appliances, information technology and consumer products.

For more information, contact Paul Reichenbacher, Ticona, 90 Morris Avenue Summit, NJ 07901, 800-833- 4882 / 908-522-7500, E-mail: prodinfo@ticona.com, Web: www.ticona.com.