Bookmark 10-12-2007

Bluestar Silicones: Investments in Europe

Bluestar Silicones is investing in Europe up to EUR 10 million during the next two years to drastically increase its production capacities of specialty silicones products. The company is investing EUR 7 million to increase production capacity for MQ resins at the Saint-Fons plant (France) with a new innovative process. The additional capacity will be used to boost growth of the silicone systems for the release coatings and pressure sensitive labels markets. Significant additional capacity is expected to be on line during 2008 with the completion of the expansion planned for early 2009.

For elastomer products at the Saint-Fons production site, Bluestar Silicones is launching an investment project to increase production capacity of RTV masterbatches with a startup scheduled for the beginning of 2008 for the moldmaking, electrical markets and healthcare applications.

Planned investment in Europe is just as dynamic: new production capacity for defoamers at the Santa Perpetua plant near Barcelona, Spain (start up: last quarter 2007), increase in RTV product formulation capacities at Lübeck, Germany, expansion of sites for dental applications in Caronno, Italy and HCR ready-to-use products at the Mix-and-Fix Center in Treviolo, Italy.