AkzoNobel will invest more than €60m to increase the capacity of its Bermocoll cellulose derivatives (paint and building material thickeners).
Under the expansion plan, the Dutch company will build a new plant in Ningbo, China, and will also debottleneck the existing plant in ࡪrnsköldsvik, Sweden.
The two projects will increase the company's Bermocoll cellulose derivatives to 40,000t a year.
The new Bermocoll unit is expected to become operational in early 2013 and the funding allocated for this plant will bring the total investment in Ningbo to more than €320m.
The debottlenecking project in Sweden is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
The company's cellulose derivatives, which are based on a natural polymer, are sourced from wood pulp or cotton linters, and their main application areas include water-based paints, building additives and pharma / healthcare.
