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Expansion of RTP's Ladenburg compounding plant

17 May '12

3 min read

Global custom engineered thermoplastics compounder RTP Company announced that it has undertaken an expansion at its Ladenburg, Germany production facility that will nearly double the locations footprint to 9,700 m2 (105,000 square feet).

"This expansion was necessary in order for RTP Company to continue to meet the growing demand for engineered thermoplastic compounds in Germany and throughout the industrial regions of Europe," said Hugh Miller, President and CEO of RTP Company. "We have experienced healthy increases across the board, but especially in our very long fiber and conductive compounds -- including those materials that were part of our recent acquisition from Clariant -- that make it necessary for RTP Company to add additional production capacity in Europe."

In addition to relocating a compounding line from Clariant's site in Ahrensburg, Germany that was included in the recent conductive compounds acquisition, RTP Company will be installing additional pultrusion lines for manufacturing very long fiber composites along with another state-of-the-art compounding line during the expansion. With the additional equipment RTP Company's production capacity in Ladenburg will increase by 8 million kg (17.6 million lbs.) per year.

"Our acquisition of Clariant's conductive compounds business was a well-timed strategic move for RTP Company," said Jean Sirois, Managing Director - Europe at RTP Company. "Additionally, we have experienced growth in many key market segments such as automotive, construction, industrial equipment, electrical and electronics, and medical as well as through our distribution network that we are eager to further develop."

Opened in April 2011, RTP Company's Ladenburg location is its second manufacturing site in Europe, the other facility is located in Beaune, France. Both locations are part of RTP Company's global network of 12 production facilities that are positioned regionally to provide global access to technical expertise and supply materials with short lead times.

"Increasing capacity at our Ladenburg, Germany facility, plus the opening of our Shenzhen Technical Center last month in China, exemplify RTP Company's commitment to building the infrastructure needed to meet the growing demand for custom engineered thermoplastic compounds by our customers around the world," said Hugh Miller.

In addition to producing custom compounds, the Ladenburg facility provides technical support to RTP Company's customers in Germany and throughout Europe with on-site engineers and product development laboratories.

RTP Company, headquartered in Winona, Minn., is a global compounder of custom engineered thermoplastics. The company has 12 manufacturing plants on three continents, plus sales representatives throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. RTP Company's engineers develop customized thermoplastic compounds in over 60 different engineering resin systems for applications requiring color, conductive, elastomeric, flame retardant, high temperature, structural, and wear resistant properties.

RTP Company