Arkema Has Decided to Increase Its PVDF Capacity by 15% in North America

COLOMBES, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

This 15% capacity expansion of Arkema’s (Paris:AKE) PVDF production site in Calvert City, Kentucky, represents an investment of around 20 million US dollars and is aligned with the strategy of the Group to increase its global PVDF footprint at a pace and with capabilities that match market development. This will support the increasing demand for locally manufactured high-performance resins for lithium-ion batteries as well as the growing semiconductor and cable markets.

Arkema’s Calvert City plant has a long history in PVDF manufacturing. The 15% capacity expansion will focus on innovative PVDF grades designed to support the manufacture of electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage systems with improved sustainability profiles, as well as growth in local manufacturing by customers in other strategic markets. Startup is planned for mid-2026, in line with the ramp-up of production at North American gigafactories and significant expansion of local semiconductor capabilities.

“We are proud to take this step forward hand-in-hand with our customers,” said Laurent Tellier, Senior Vice-President of Arkema’s High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases. “It demonstrates our commitment to develop our businesses on a global scale, by investing in each region to support local strategic industries. We will continue to invest proactively to support this growth, matching closely the reality of the evolution of the demand”.

Arkema produces PVDF in all three major regions, with plants in the USA, China, and France, and is a global leader in PVDF supply. All three sites have recently seen significant investment and capacity increase at a pace and with capabilities that match the evolution of the demand.

Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address ever-growing demand for new and sustainable materials. With the ambition to become a pure player in Specialty Materials, the Group is structured into 3 complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials - Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions - accounting for some 92% of Group sales in 2023, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, among other things, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders. The Group reported sales of around € 9.5 billion in 2023 and operates in some 55 countries with 21,100 employees worldwide.

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