Fortron PPS expansion passes construction milestone

Announced yesterday (August 22), the US$65-million expansion of the Fortron Industries polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) plant in Wilmington, North Carolina, US, has passed a milestone as its structure begins to emerge from its foundation.

The expansion, which will double the plant's Fortron PPS capacity to 15,000 metric tons per year, is on schedule for completion in the third quarter of 2007.

The expanded plant will be the world's largest PPS facility and will go a long way toward bringing the supply of this high-performance polymer into balance with the growing global demand for it in the electrical, electronics, automotive, aerospace, filtration and other industrial and consumer industries.

Fortron Industries is a joint venture of Ticona Engineering Polymers and Kureha Corporation.