Completed Expansion Project Highlights Saflex Global Investment Program;
New Resin Capacity Focuses Upon USA, Belgium
ST. LOUIS and DUSSELDORF, Germany, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Today at the Glasstec 2008 exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany, the Saflex(R)
unit of Solutia Inc. (NYSE: SOA), announced that one million square meters
of Saflex polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers have been produced and
shipped for commercial sale from the recently completed Third Extrusion
Line (TEL) located at its plant in Ghent, Belgium. This start-up marks a
significant milestone for the business, which has been focusing on improved
regional capability and service levels over the past several years. Solutia
will host a Grand Opening celebration for customers at the Ghent plant on
Saturday, October 25.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081023/AQTH012LOGO)
As a result of this expansion, the Saflex Ghent plant is the world's
largest PVB sheet extrusion facility. The additional 40 million square
meter capacity gained from the completed expansion continues to position
Saflex as a key supplier to architectural glass laminators in Europe. The
new line also will provide the Saflex business with greater flexibility in
how it operates its plants worldwide. In addition, the Ghent facility is
the only producer of the new Saflex Magnum(TM) roll -- which can measure
3.2 or 3.3 meters wide by 800 meters in length, driving a new industry
standard. The new size will increase yields and drive performance
improvements for European customers.
"We continue to invest across our Saflex business in order to meet the
growing demands of our customers worldwide," said Luc De Temmerman,
president of Solutia's Saflex unit. "This project is a key part of our
global growth strategy for the Saflex business. By opening our third
manufacturing line at Ghent, we are taking a key step forward in our
strategy to optimize our production on a global scale in order to provide
the highest degree of skill, scale and speed to our customers."
The new manufacturing line was designed within the current boundaries
of the Saflex Ghent plant, leveraging existing infrastructure and the
plant's 40-plus years of experience in manufacturing Saflex products. In
addition, the new line employs the latest technology, enabling the
production process to be highly automated.
"Our customers recognize the Ghent plant as a proven supplier of the
world's premier PVB interlayers," said Dirk Duquet, vice president of
manufacturing for the Saflex business, "and this expansion will enable us
to very efficiently take that tradition of quality to an even greater
scale."
Saflex is also in the process of adding 12,000 metric tons of PVB resin
capacity at its Indian Orchard site in Springfield, Mass., USA, and will
add a further 15,000 metric tons in Antwerp, Belgium by mid-2010.
Saflex is the global leader in PVB production, innovation, quality and
reliability. When laminated between layers of glass, PVB interlayers
greatly enhance the performance characteristics of glass, providing
benefits such as security, solar protection, sound attenuation and safety.
Laminated glass made with Saflex PVB is used extensively in both the
automotive and architectural markets, and is now used to encapsulate the
world's largest thin film photovoltaic modules. For more information,
please visit: http://www.saflex.com.
NOTES TO EDITOR:
Saflex is a registered trademark of Solutia Inc.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which can be
identified by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "may,"
"will," "intends," "plans," "estimates" or "anticipates," or other
comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions.
These statements are based on management's current expectations and
assumptions about the industries in which Solutia operates. Forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or
achievements to be materially different from the future results or
achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These
risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risk and
uncertainties described in Solutia's most recent Annual Report on Form
10-K, including under "Cautionary Statement About Forward Looking
Statements" and "Risk Factors", and Solutia's quarterly reports on Form
10-Q. These reports can be accessed through the "Investors" section of
Solutia's website at http://www.solutia.com. Solutia disclaims any intent
or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in
response to new information, unforeseen events, changed circumstances or
any other occurrence.
About Solutia Inc.
Solutia is a market-leading performance materials and specialty
chemicals company. The company focuses on providing solutions for a better
life through a range of products, including: Saflex(R) interlayer for
laminated glass; CPFilms(R) aftermarket window films sold under the
LLumar(R) brand and others; high-performance nylon polymers and fibers sold
under brands such as Vydyne(R) and Wear-Dated(R); and technical specialties
including the Flexsys(R) family of chemicals for the rubber industry,
Skydrol(R) aviation hydraulic fluid and Therminol(R) heat transfer fluid.
Solutia's businesses are world leaders in each of their market segments.
With its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the company operates
globally with approximately 6,000 employees in more than 60 locations. More
information is available at http://www.Solutia.com.
SOURCE Solutia Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.Solutia.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081023/AQTH012LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Media, Dan Jenkins, U.S., +1-314-674-8552, or
Nathalie Chaimbault, Europe, +31 164 317 035, or Investors,
Susannah Livingston, +1-314-674-8914, all for Solutia Inc.
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