International. Perstorp reported that it has made significant progress at its Capa caprolactone monomer plant in Warrington, UK.
The project was announced last August, and work began in the last quarter of 2017. Major milestones have already been approved, says Marie Grönborg, executive vice president of Specialties & Solutions at Perstorp.
In 2011, Perstorp completed a major investment in the construction of a second monomer line at Warrington, providing additional capacity and redundancy. The current project involves the demolition of much of the original plant since 1996, followed by reconstruction from scratch to the latest standards. "The demolition has been completed, with new equipment now to better support the production facilities," says Grönborg. "Caprolactone production is not affected during the plant upgrade, which consists of installing a new peracetic acid and new reactors. The project is expected to be complete in the second half of 2019."
"With this significant investment, Perstorp is making the plant more robust to ensure an even more reliable supply for customers around the world," says Grönborg. The work will also facilitate future weakening to support market growth. Perstorp is building on the capacity for the plant to operate at higher capacity, allowing us to increase capacity in the future. During the market changes last year, Perstorp has made its additional capacity available on the market.
The safety of the plant is also being improved. The introduction of cutting-edge technology and information systems will mean that fewer manual interventions will be required in the future.
"We continue to see strong confidence and demand in the caprolactone market," says Grönborg. "The polyurethane elastomer segment, which is an important area for caprolactones, is very buoyant, and we are seeing strong growth in coatings and resins. We strive to support and meet the needs of our customers, maintain our manufacturing reliability, and build a successful future for caprolactone-based solutions."
