The Coating Resins business of Arkema has expanded acrylic resin manufacturing capacity in Araçariguama, Brazil by 60 percent. The new reactor will enable manufacturing of Arkema’s product chemistries previously unavailable in the region.

With the start-up of the new reactor, Arkema has improved virtually every aspect of the company’s latex production in Brazil, including manufacturing, logistics and shipping, storage, filtration and the capabilities of the reactor itself.

“These improvements will enable us to begin migrating production capabilities and product lines currently available in other parts of the world to the facility in Brazil,” Eric Schmitt, President, Arkema Quimica Ltda. Brazil, explained. “We can now provide customers local manufacturing of innovative, market-leading products, produced in a modern, automated facility with a focus on consistent, repeatable quality, and environmental responsibility.”

Products manufactured at the plant will now include a much wider range of chemistries, including 100% acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic, vinyl VeoVa™ and polyvinyl acetate (PVA). These products are used across many traditional and emerging applications in industries such as architectural coatings, industrial coatings, pressure sensitive adhesives and construction adhesives, textiles, sealants and waterproofing membranes.

As production ramps up, Arkema will begin to introduce new products based on demand and market potential. The first products added to the production capabilities of the new facility include:

• ENCOR 265 BR, a high scrubbing styrene acrylic resin for use in architectural coatings
• ENCOR DT 211 BR, a 100% acrylic ideally suited for fast-dry traffic paints.
• ENCOR 161 BR styrene acrylic latex for use in mortars and grouts, tile adhesives and waterproofing membranes, as well as cement-based skim coats, gap fillers, and in decorative concrete applications.
• ENCOR 413 BR, an acrylic emulsion polymer specifically developed for use in the polymer modification of Portland cement and other hydraulic cement compositions.
• ENCOR 9801 BR acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive for packaging tape applications.
• ENCOR 9466 BR, a high solids acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive for label applications.

“Arkema has been investing consistently to expand our global presence in resins” said Carlos Lion, Market Manager for Arkema Coating Resins in South America. “Local production in Brazil will allow us to better serve our current customers while, at the same time, offering formulators in various market areas, such as coatings, construction and adhesives, more competitive access to the raw materials they need.”