Solutia has announced plans to expand its manufacturing plant located in Suzhou, China. The site is used for the production of the company’s Saflex polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer for laminated glass.
The Suzhou plant expansion includes the addition of a second manufacturing line for enhanced capabilities to serve the architectural, photovoltaic, and automotive markets in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
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“Solutia is committed to fulfilling the growing needs of our customers in China, and the expansion of our Suzhou plant is essential to that commitment,” said Jeffry Quinn, chairman, president, and CEO of Solutia.
“While we have made a number of major capital investments in our businesses over the last few years to accelerate our transformation, the Suzhou facility was the first new plant we built from the ground up. We will continue to devote substantial resources to seizing the growth opportunities in China across each of our businesses,” continued Quinn.
“Global demand for Saflex interlayers continues to rise around the world, especially in China,” said Timothy Wessel, president and general manager of Solutia’s Saflex business.
“This additional expansion improves our ability to serve the needs of laminators and glass fabricators supplying the rapidly growing Chinese automotive, architectural and photovoltaic industries and the broader Asia-Pacific markets. We look forward to collaborating with these customers, and believe our continued investment in the Suzhou plant will support significant growth in the laminated glass and solar energy markets.”
The company’s second production line will significantly increase the annual capacity of the Suzhou plant and is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.