AkzoNobel’s Specialty Chemicals business broke ground on a new alkoxylation facility in Ningbo, China, bringing the company’s total investment in the strategic multi-site to more than EUR 400M.
The Ningbo multi-site covers around 50 hectares and accommodates production for chelates, ethylene amines, ethylene oxide, organic peroxides and Bermocoll cellulose derivatives. This latest investment will increase annual capacity by nearly 18,000 tons, mainly catering for domestic demand in China.
Photo courtesy of AkzoNobel
LIN Liangqi, president of AkzoNobel China, said: “Ningbo is one of the company’s most important production locations and this new investment means we can offer additional employment opportunities to the local market, while continuing to focus on organic growth, operational excellence and achieving leading performance.”
In addition to contributing to AkzoNobel’s position as one of the leading surfactant producers in China, the new facility also creates a more sustainable footprint in the region. The added alkoxylation capacity (the process of reacting a fatty amine with ethylene oxide to make ethoxylated amines) will enable the company to expand its reach in the agrochemical, oilfield and personal care markets.
