On February 24, Arkema announced an investment to further enhance its fluoropolymer production capacity in Changshu, that is, to achieve a 35% increase in PVDF production capacity by 2022. At the same time, akoma celebrates the successful production of PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) in Changshu base, ushering in the first decade.

The new capacity is expected to be put into production by the end of 2022. Driven by further strong demand from the lithium battery business and significant opportunities in the water filtration, architectural coatings and semiconductor industries, this new investment came into being.

Changshu PVDF plant is the third globally integrated PVDF production plant of Arkema group, built for the existing coating market and the rapidly rising lithium battery and water filtration market under the background of strong growth potential in Asia, especially in China. The first batch of Kynar? PVDF was produced on February 17, 2011. The factory was founded in the year of tiger in 2010, so it is known as akoma's "tiger factory", which is a major strategic step of akoma's commitment to provide regional supply for global customers. Now, Acoma's perfect Changshu platform has become the center of fluorine chemistry, and its geographical location also places its business activities in the center of its customer base.

In the past decade, Changshu's PVDF plant has been expanded several times, the latest in December 2020. Throughout its development, the plant has demonstrated its commitment to employee safety and product quality. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, the factory can produce almost all specifications of PVDF fluoropolymers.

"The establishment and start-up of the plant in 2011 is an important milestone for arcoma, and the continuous expansion of the plant makes our team proud," said erwoan pezron, senior vice president of arcoma's high performance polymers business. "Without the encouragement and support of our local customers, we could not have taken this step. Every subsequent investment, including the latest one, depends on their support. We grow with our customers. The first decade of this large factory has given us confidence in its future; now we will continue to invest in its exciting future. "

Based on its unique expertise in materials science, arcoma offers a range of state-of-the-art technologies to meet the growing demand for new sustainable materials. By 2024, arcoma aims to become a pure specialty materials manufacturer, focusing on three complementary, strong and highly innovative specialty materials business sectors, namely adhesive solutions, advanced materials and coatings solutions - accounting for about 80% of the group's sales, and a well positioned and competitive intermediate sector. Arkema provides cutting-edge technology solutions to meet challenges including new energy, water access, recycling, urbanization and mobile travel, and promotes long-term dialogue with all stakeholders.