United States. Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a business unit of Ashland Inc., announced plans to invest approximately $89 million over the next three years to expand specialty chemical production at its manufacturing facility in Hopewell, Virginia.
Most of the investment will go towards expanding the production of two product lines. Ashland said it will increase production of Natrosol Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), which is used as a thickener in latex paints, by 4,700 metric tons, or about 40% at Hopewell. The company will also expand the capacity of Klucel hydroxypropylcellulose cellulose (HPC), a technology that is used to enable long-acting delivery in pharmaceutical tablets, binders and coatings, and other applications, by approximately 50%.
Expansion of the plant is expected to begin during the summer of 2015. It is estimated that some 17 new jobs will be added to the total installation stream of 237 jobs as a result of the expansion.
