Ticona Opens New Facilities in Frankfurt, Germany |
Ticona Engineering Polymers
8040 Dixie Hwy.
Florence, KY, 41042
USA
Press release date: September 27, 2011
World's Largest POM Production Plant
Florence, Ky., Sulzbach, Germany, Shanghai, PR China, Sept. 27, 2011 - Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, concluded its three-year construction project with an official opening ceremony on Monday, which followed the successful start-up of its polyoxymethylene (POM) production plant in the Industrial Park Hoechst (IPH), Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The design and construction of this new plant set new benchmarks in safety, while responding to the growing demand for Hostaform® POM (acetal copolymer).
With a nameplate capacity of 140,000 tons per year, the new POM plant will be the world's largest and strengthens the company's engineering polymers business, including its global operations and advanced technical capabilities.
The construction of the production plant, Technical Center and Research and Development facility required 52,318 cubic yards of concrete, 497 miles of cable, 8,000 tons of steel, as well as about 49 miles of piping. In addition to Ticona specialists, about 1,200 workers were employed at the construction site, and up to 400 engineers at various international facilities contributed to the plant construction.
"This day would not have been possible without the outstanding performance of all those involved in the construction of the world's largest POM plant here in the Rhine-Main area. From early engineering to official start-up, it took only 4.5 years. This is an extraordinary success! I am also especially proud of the excellent safety performance with more than 3 million work hours without a serious injury," said Michael Stubblefield, general manager of Ticona.
Special attention was paid to customer requirements during the relocation process. The Ticona commercial team assured the maintenance of high standards in customer service and received positive feedback for their efforts.
Brief Overview
In November 2006, Celanese, Ticona and the operator of the Frankfurt airport, Fraport, agreed the Ticona Kelsterbach chemical plant would relocate by mid-2011 to make room for the airport expansion. After the announcement of Industrial Park Hoechst as the new site on July 27, 2007, Ticona worked with the relevant authorities and received the preliminary construction permit in May 2008. Construction was initiated in the fall of the same year and was concluded in late 2010. Further authorization processes and quality assurance measures, such as various ISO certifications, were then performed. Customer workshops took place in January 2011 in which participants were able to get an idea of the new plant. In late July, first product on specification was produced. Simultaneously, decommissioning and demolition measures were started at the old facility in Kelsterbach and will be fully completed in late 2013.
Multi-faceted Material with Numerous Benefits
POM has been available in the market for more than 50 years. Worldwide, Ticona is one of the largest manufacturers and is reinforcing its position in the market with this new plant. Ticona produces a variety of POM grades marketed under the Hostaform and Celcon® trade names. They are designed to enhance specific material properties, optimize the material for special processes or improve the aesthetics with metallic and other "looks."
Ticona Focus: Safety, Quality and Customer Confidence
A project management system reviewed and approved by the independent auditor DQS GmbH (German Association for the Certification of Management Systems) was employed for the production relocation. The close collaboration between experts from various specialist departments, such as Laboratory, Quality Management, Business Line and Production, ensured that all customer-specific needs and requirements were taken into account. Processes, safety guidelines, quality assurance and the plant itself also had to be reviewed to obtain all the required permits and certifications.
"Safety and quality are extremely important to us. Apart from the construction and all of the safety criteria, customer confidence in a smooth transition was the focus for our activities," said Björn Hofman, business director Europe for Ticona.
Sales and Marketing kept customers up-to-date on the status of construction work and gave customers tours of the new facility during the transition phase.
Engineering Polymers: Impossible to Imagine Everyday Life without Them
Engineering polymers replace metal, ceramic or glass to reduce weight or manufacturing costs. An example of one of the thousands of Hostaform POM applications is in the area of medical technology, where insulin pens or inhalers made with POM parts contribute to the healthcare of millions.
Hostaform POM has very high strength and excellent chemical resistance, which are retained even at high temperatures. These properties are especially important in the electronic/electrical and automotive industries. In fact, Hostaform POM is used in more than 100 components on automobiles worldwide. Looking forward, Hostaform POM will play a major role in electric vehicles as well as solar plants and other advanced technologies.
About Ticona and Celanese
Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, produces and markets a broad range of high performance products, and posted net sales of $1,109 million in fiscal 2010. Ticona employs more than 1,630 individuals at production, compounding and research facilities in the USA, Germany, Brazil and China. For more information, please visit www.ticona.com or www.ticona.cn (Chinese language).
Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of specialty materials and chemical products which are used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our products, essential to everyday living, are manufactured in North America, Europe and Asia. Known for operational excellence, sustainability and premier safety performance, Celanese delivers value to customers around the globe with best-in-class technologies. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company employs approximately 7,250 employees worldwide and had 2010 net sales of $5.9 billion, with approximately 72% generated outside of North America. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its global product offerings, visit www.celanese.com.
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