Royal DSM N.V., the largest manufacturer of high performance polyethylene
(HPPE) products in the world, today announces its decision to again invest in
new production capacity for Dyneema® fiber. The new unit will be built at
DSM’s facility in Greenville, North Carolina (USA).
The investment will amount to several tens of millions of USD, and will bring
the total number of fiber lines for the company to ten. The expansion of
Dyneema® fiber capacity is a response to the continued strong demand in all
its application areas. The new unit is expected to come on stream early 2008.
Construction is planned to start by the end of this year.
“Investing in Dyneema® contributes to our strategy
Vision 2010 – Building on Strengths,” says Nico Gerardu, member
of DSM’s Managing Board. “Despite the already aggressive growth
of the business, demand for Dyneema® products has been larger than capacity to
supply for several years in a row. Dyneema® is and remains a clear example of
our ambitions in the area of market-driven growth and innovation.”
“This next expansion will help us to better serve our faithful
customers,” adds Christophe Dardel, President of DSM Dyneema. “
DSM will continue to further expand its global capacity for Dyneema® to
maintain its global market leadership position. To our customers this will
provide another example of our commitment to be the world’s most reliable
quality supplier of HPPE products.”
DSM Dyneema
DSM Dyneema is the inventor and manufacturer of Dyneema®, the world’s
strongest fiberTM. Dyneema® is a superstrong polyethylene fiber that offers
maximum strength combined with minimum weight. It is up to 15 times stronger
than quality steel and up to 40% stronger than aramid fibers, both on weight
for weight basis. Dyneema® floats on water and is extremely durable and
resistant to moisture, UV light and chemicals. The applications are therefore
more or less unlimited. Dyneema® is an important component in ropes, cables
and nets in the fishing, shipping and offshore industries. Dyneema® is also
used in safety gloves for the metalworking industry and in fine yarns for
applications in sporting goods and the medical sector. In addition, Dyneema®
is also used in bullet resistant armor and clothing for police and military
personnel.
Dyneema® is produced in Heerlen (The Netherlands) and in Greenville, North
Carolina (USA). DSM Dyneema is also a partner in a high modulus polyethylene
(HMPE) manufacturing joint venture in Japan.
