Borealis to build dedicated automotive compounding plant in America

Borealis will build a dedicated automotive polypropylene compounding plant in the USA.

As Borealis/ Borouge pledges to expand its role in the car industry, it has announced a decision to build a new plant in Taylorsville, North Carolina, chosen for its proximity to automotive parts manufacturers and the support of the North Carolina government.

North Carolina has been selected for its strategic location and proximity to the company’s customer base, as well as for the business-friendly and supporting environment of the State and the County.

The new facility will secure the position of Borealis as a local supplier to automotive parts makers to support supply chains in North America, Europe and Brazil.  

Ken Wiecoreck, President of Borealis Compounds, said: “We are very excited to be expanding our automotive business in North America and look forward to working more closely with our customers in the region to deliver our global material innovations locally.”

The North Carolina plant is scheduled to become commercially operational in early 2019 and will make polypropylene compounds in the Daplen family of PP thermoplastic olefins (TPO) and in the Fibremod range of PP short glass fibre (SGF) reinforced materials.

Nicholas Kolesch, Head of Automotive Marketing at Borealis: “We are aware that North America is a competitive market with established suppliers, however, we are convinced that our cutting-edge material solutions will continue to help our customers create value through innovation and enable us to grow with them on a global basis.”