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Company News
Daikin to increase fluoropolymer capacity
D
aikin America, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan-based Daikin Industries, will invest US$60 million to expand its FEP and ETFE fluoropolymer capacity at its Alabama facility. The expansion will be completed in 2012 and will increase both ETFE and FEP supply by over 50%.Worldwide demand for fluoropolymers is increasing and as the global economies continue to recover, the need for speciality melt processible grades such as FEP and ETFE is growing sharply, especially for the wire and cable, photovoltaic (PV), aerospace and automotive industries.
The company says the expansion was conceived and planned prior to the recession of 2008 and that Daikin remains strongly committed to the plenum cable market, which continues to be the single largest application for fluoropolymers in the US. The company is also projecting demand for ETFE to accelerate over the next two years, as photovoltaic and architectural film markets continue to grow and mature.