Evonik plans its largest German investment with new polyamide 12 plant

Evonik is planning to build a new production complex for the high-performance polymer polyamide 12 (PA 12) at its site in Marl, Germany.

The €400 million investment (approx. £354m GBP) will be Evonik’s largest ever in the country and will increase its overall PA 12 capacity by more than 50 percent.

The company’s existing PA 12 production is to be supplemented with additional manufacturing facilities for the polymer and its precursors. The complex is expected to become operational in early 2021.

“We are planning Evonik’s largest investment in Germany,” commented Christian Kullmann, Chairman of the Evonik Executive Board.

“This investment is a perfect fit to our strategy of consistent focus on speciality chemicals since polyamide 12, as a high-performance polymer for speciality applications, is an important part of our strategic Growth Engine Smart Materials.”

Kullmann considers Germany an attractive and competitive industrial location: “Our workforce in Marl is highly qualified, and our investment will create about 150 jobs. Moreover, we can make optimal use of synergies with our existing infrastructure. That creates highly favorable conditions to sell our speciality products on a global scale.”

Evonik says the PA 12 market is posting annual growth rates exceeding five percent worldwide, with strong growth in the automotive sector, the oil and gas industry, and 3D printing.

“The demand for polyamide 12 is showing steady, dynamic growth," explained Claus Rettig, Chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH.

“The planned capacity expansion will further strengthen our leading market position for polyamide 12. For our customers worldwide, our commitment translates into long-term availability and reliability of supply for their existing and future applications.”