Solutia expands Saflex PVB manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China

April 28, 2010
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

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.  

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

“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.

Read Next

December 10, 2025
The US SEIA has named board chair Darren Van’t Hof as interim president and CEO, to begin work 20 January 2026.
December 10, 2025
Italy's NZIA FER-X auction aims to diversify Europe's supply chain, but this brings its own challenges, writes Patrizio Donati.
December 10, 2025
The global utility-scale solar PV sector has exceeded the threshold of 1TW of operating capacity, according to Wiki-Solar.
December 10, 2025
Plentiude, the renewable energy development arm of Italian oil and gas major Eni, has started operations at a 150MW solar PV plant in Spain.
December 10, 2025
The US solar industry registered its third-best quarter with 11.7GW of new capacity installed in the third quarter of 2025.
December 10, 2025
The average price of several types of solar PV modules remained stable in Europe in November, according to sun.store.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
December 17, 2025
2pm GMT / 3pm CET
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA