Specialty chemicals firm Nouryon announced Tuesday that it has commenced the engineering phase for a new expandable microspheres plant in Green Bay, WI and said work on the site is expected to begin later this year.
Expandable microspheres are used to reduce the weight, cost, and environmental impacts of a variety of end products. Nouryon sells expandable thermoplastic microspheres under the brand Expancel. The company said the new facility will help it to meet an uptick in demand and complement its existing expandable microspheres operations in China, Brazil, and Sweden.
The Green Bay facility currently has assets for the final step of the Expancel production process. Once the expansion is completed, the plant will be capable of carrying out all manufacturing steps for the product.