Bayer invests $120mn in environmental, safety upgrades at Texas chemical site
Bayer MaterialScience will invest $120mn into environmental and safety improvements at its Baytown chemical site in Texas – the company’s largest US manufacturing facility.
“Our Baytown plant is a critical asset in the Bayer MaterialScience global portfolio,” said Dr. Tony Van Osselaer, a member of the executive committee of Bayer MaterialScience and head of industrial operations. “It is a first-rate manufacturing facility and these significant investments are our commitment to keeping it fit for the future.”
The planned $120mn investment includes:
- Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) – environmental upgrades, reliability improvements and minor debottlenecking.
- Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) – improved process technology, environmental upgrades, and energy efficiency and reliability improvements that will increase productivity.
- Polycarbonate – reliability upgrades and quality improvements for advanced optical applications.
Additional investments are designed to improve the reliability of the infrastructure throughout the site, the company said.
“These comprehensive upgrades will support the growth we are anticipating in the NAFTA region,” said Greg Babe, CEO of Bayer.
Commenting on the investments, Rod Herrick, Baytown general plant manager, said, “Reliability and safety are our priorities. A safe plant is a more reliable plant.
“In 2010, Bayer MaterialScience Baytown employees achieved their safest record in the 40-year history of the plant," he continued. "These investments are a tribute to them as well as to the ongoing performance of the site.”
MDI and TDI are highly versatile chemicals used to produce polyurethanes used in flexible foam for the furniture and automotive industries; rigid and spray foams for insulation in the construction industry; and coatings, adhesives, and sealants.
Polycarbonate is used in innovative applications including automotive headlamp lenses, optical data storage (CDs and DVDs), medical devices and shatter-resistant optical lenses.
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