Solvay starts 500 tpa PEEK production unit in India

08-Jan-09

Solvay, Belgium headquartered international chemical company has recently started a 500 tpa world-class production unit in Panoli (Gujarat), India, to deliver KetaSpire® PEEK and AvaSpire® modified PEEK - two ultra polymers that can give design engineers best-in-class chemical resistance and mechanical properties, plus ease of processing. PEEK can facilitate a lightweight alternative for use in automotive, oil & gas, healthcare, aerospace, semiconductor and various industrial friction and wear components. KetaSpire and AvaSpire resins are part of Solvay's complete family of Spire® Ultra Polymers. With this feat, Solvay re-enters the market with a world-scale operation producing KetaSpire PEEK using n-PEEK chemistry. Building on a history of innovation, Solvay also brings novel formulations of AvaSpire modified PEEK to the market, ushering in a new era of added performance and price options. In the late 80's, the company decided against captive production of PEEK neat resins and entered into a long-term supply agreement with ICI. ICI was later acquired by Victrex, along with the know-how for making n-PEEK. Patents related to n-PEEK production expired in the late 1990s.