HOUSTON, April 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraton Corporation, a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, announces a significant investment in its Alpha Methyl Styrene (AMS) Resins facility in Niort, France. Kraton expects the investment will result in a 15% production increase at the Niort manufacturing facility by 2023. In addition to the capacity increase, Kraton anticipates the investment will lead to a 70% reduction in solvent consumption, creating a favorable impact on the product life cycle by the end of 2022.

Kraton's AMS Resins, also known as Pure Monomer Resins, are sold in high-end applications such as Tread Enhancement Additives for premium tires and as high-performance tackifying resins in fast-growing adhesive markets. Kraton's SYLVATRAXX™ Tread Enhancement Additives improve the overall performance of tire treads in terms of wet grip, low rolling resistance, and durability, thus enabling safer driving, better fuel efficiency and range. Due to increasingly stringent car emission standards across the globe, these high-performance additives have seen substantial demand growth.

"The rise in Electric Vehicles (EV) also contributes to this growth, as the increased EV weight and higher torque bring new challenges in tire performance," said Torsten Schmidt, Vice President of Commercial, Kraton Pine Chemicals. "Our SYLVATRAXX products continue to gain popularity across the entire tire value chain as they enable our customers to meet these new requirements."

In recent years, Kraton has made significant investments in AMS Resins at the manufacturing facility in Niort, resulting in added operational capacity and improved asset reliability. As customer demand increases, the new growth project focuses on advancing production efficiencies while improving the site's environmental footprint.

In parallel with the current expansion projects, Kraton is exploring additional manufacturing expansion opportunities at the Niort plant beyond the 2023 horizon.

About Kraton Corporation

Kraton Corporation is a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value biobased products derived from pine wood pulping co-products. Kraton's polymers are used in a wide range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants and lubricants, medical, packaging, automotive, paving and roofing applications. As the largest global provider in the pine chemicals industry, the company's pine-based specialty products are sold into adhesive, road and construction and tire markets, and it produces and sells a broad range of performance chemicals into markets that include fuel additives, oilfield chemicals, coatings, metalworking fluids and lubricants, inks and mining. Kraton offers its products to a diverse customer base in numerous countries worldwide. Kraton and the Kraton logo are registered trademarks of Kraton Corporation, or its subsidiaries or affiliates, in one or more, but not all countries.

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SOURCE Kraton Corporation

KRATON EXPANDS AMS RESIN CAPACITY AT NIORT FACILITY TO SUPPORT CUSTOMER GROWTH