Cabot Corporation has announced the completion of two expansion projects which are set to extend its global black masterbatch and compounds footprint, as well as increasing its manufacturing capacity.
The first part of this expansion comprises the acquisition of North American black masterbatch producer Tech Blend, which will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cabot and be renamed Cabot Plastics Canada.
The company’s masterbatch and conductive compounds business now has five manufacturing locations across the world, in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America, and following the Tech Blend acquisition “has full service manufacturing and sales capabilities in the North American region, to serve both global and regional customers.”
Thomas Estienne, the General Manager of Cabot Specialty Compounds North America, said: “Cabot has long been recognised as a leader and innovator in the masterbatch and conductive compounds space. We have the expertise in carbon black design and production technology, as well as significant experience in carbon black dispersion for a wide range of plastic resins. With our expanded presence into North America, we are better equipped to provide high quality products to our customers, wherever they are located.”
The second wave of the recently-completed expansion saw the corporations Specialty Compounds business install a brand-new line at its Belgian manufacturing facility in Pepinster. According to the company, the “strategic investment will increase capacity and enhance production capabilities for plastic formulations, including conductive and engineering thermoplastics formulations.”
The expansion means the Pepinster site becomes Cabot’s largest masterbatch and compounds manufacturing facility, and ties in with its broader strategy of driving application innovation, and developing around formulation solutions.
“Innovation is enabled by state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and market leading application know-how,” explained Denise Myrtoglou, the Vice President and Managing Director, Specialty Compounds. “With this new equipment, we will extend our leadership position in conductive and engineering polymer materials with advanced capabilities to serve our customers.”
“We are committed to providing our customers with superior quality formulations to accelerate their growth and success,” added Myrtoglou. “This new production line will enable us to better respond to future growth and demand in automotive and industrial markets.”
