Arkema announced a 20% expansion of its Kynar® PVDF production capacity at its Changshu site in China, with the new unit expected to start up in 2028. This additional capacity is designed to support the strong and sustained growth in demand for Kynar® PVDF across all key markets, including lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, high-performance coatings, chemical processing industries, semiconductor manufacturing, water filtration, and wire and cable.
According to Arkema, the project is supported by its robust global R&D ecosystem, which ensures innovation leadership in PVDF advanced applications and technologies. This ecosystem includes the Changshu R&D center in China, as well as R&D centers in France, Japan, South Korea and in the United States. Together, it says these laboratories enable Arkema to collaborate closely with customers and accelerate development of high-performance solutions for the energy transition and advanced manufacturing industries.
“This expansion marks an exciting milestone for Arkema, as we are investing once again with confidence to increase and strengthen our capabilities in Changshu,” said Laurent Tellier, senior vice-president of Arkema’s High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases. “This investment will allow us to continue to support our customers’ growth with even more agile and reliable supply, while addressing the market’s need for constant and rapid innovation.”