DuPont to invest $150 million in ethylene copolymers

DuPont will invest about $150 million to expand and upgrade manufacturing facilities in Europe, the United States and Asia to meet strong demand for its specialty ethylene copolymers in photovoltaics, packaging and automotive markets, as well as for new infrastructure in emerging economies.

''This investment will result in over 200 million pounds of additional capacity, enhanced capability of our current facilities, and reduced energy consumption of our operations,'' said Bill Weber, global director, DuPont Ethylene Copolymers. 

''Importantly, it will accelerate DuPont's ability to respond to rapidly growing demand as we serve our customers worldwide,'' he added.

The new investments will include capacity addition at Dordrecht, the Netherlands, to expand the global operations network for its Fusabond modifiers and Bynel adhesive resins and to serve the European market. The new capacity is expected to be onstream in 2009. 

DuPont also plans to upgrade and improve energy efficiency at its Sabine operation in Orange, Texas which produces performance elastomerselastomers Surlyn ionomer resin and Vamac ethylene acrylic elastomers. These will be operational in 2008 and 2009. 

DuPont will construct an EVA facility near Beijing, China, with its joint venture partner, Sinopec. The facility, the first EVA manufacturing operation for DuPont in China, will supply a broad range of EVA products, thus strengthening DuPont's position in the world's fastest growing EVA market.  The facility will begin operations in 2009.