Arkema commissions new reactor in Brazil to raise acrylic resin capacity

By setting up a new reactor, Arkema’s coating resins business has expanded the acrylic resin manufacturing capacity in Aracariguama, Brazil, by 60 percent. With the start-up of the new reactor, Arkema has improved virtually every aspect of the company’s latex production in Brazil, including manufacturing, logistics and shipping, storage, filtration and the capabilities of the reactor itself.
 
Eric Schmitt, president, Arkema Quimica Ltda, explained, “These improvements will enable us to begin migrating production capabilities and product lines currently available in other parts of the world to the facility in Brazil. We can now provide customers local manufacturing of innovative, market-leading products, produced in a modern, automated facility with a focus on consistent, repeatable quality, and environmental responsibility.”
 
Products manufactured at the plant will now include a much wider range of chemistries, including 100% acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic, vinyl VeoVa and polyvinyl acetate (PVA). These products are used across many traditional and emerging applications in industries such as architectural coatings, industrial coatings, pressure sensitive adhesives and construction adhesives, textiles, sealants and waterproofing membranes.
 
As production ramps up, Arkema will begin to introduce new products based on demand and market potential.
 
Arkema has been investing consistently to expand its global presence in resins. Carlos Lion, market manager for Arkema Coating Resins in South America, said, “Local production in Brazil will allow us to better serve our current customers while, at the same time, offering formulators in various market areas, such as coatings, construction and adhesives, more competitive access to the raw materials they need.”