Solvay has completed the installation of its new thermoplastic composites (TPC) manufacturing facility at its plant in Greenville, South Carolina.

The project represents a major milestone in Solvay’s efforts to industrialise its TPC capacity and a key driver is growing demand from energy companies, supported by increasing aerospace and automotive demand. The new product line will have the ability to manufacture unidirectional composite tape from a range of high-performance polymers including PVDF, PPS and PEEK.

“The TPC solutions that will be manufactured at our Greenville facility will help our energy, aerospace and automotive customers achieve better environmental responsibility by making cars and planes lighter, thereby reducing emissions,” said Mike Finelli, president of Solvay’s growth platforms. “Our new capacity and differentiated technologies will allow us to expand with our customers as TPCs gain momentum in a growing number of applications and play an important role in the energy transition.”

The Greenville facility is part of a series of recent strategic investments in line with the Group’s commitment to build the infrastructure required for the growing TPC market. Other recent commitments to the industry include Solvay’s addition of capacity for TPC tape in Anaheim, California, two new R&I centres in Brussels, Belgium and Alpharetta, Georgia, and Solvay’s membership og the TPRC consortium.

Solvay’s TPC portfolio includes Evolite, which offers reliability and lower total cost of ownership in markets such as energy and automotive, and APC tapes, which offer significant weight and cost advantages in aerospace and urban air mobility applications.

At full production capacity, the new line will add more than 30 positions at the 27,000-square-foot facility.

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