DuPont announced
the start up of its $500 million Cooper River Kevlar facility near Charleston, S.C.
The Cooper River Kevlar plant will allow DuPont to meet increased customer
demand for advanced protective materials in emerging industries around the
world by expanding its portfolio of science-based innovations and boosting
productivity. Commercial supply will begin by the end of the year.
Overall global
production capacity for Kevlar will increase initially by 25% and is expected to grow by
40%, with planned productivity improvements and continued technology
developments over the next two years. The new capacity will allow DuPont to
provide customers with next-generation Kevlar products that improve their
ability to innovate in many applications.
Along with a
recent $50 million expansion at DuPont’s Spruance plant in Richmond,
Va., Cooper River
represents the largest single investment in Kevlar and the largest capacity
increase since the fiber was introduced in 1965. The Cooper River Kevlar plant
expansion has created 135 jobs and was built over a period of three years using
a construction workforce of up to 800.
DuPont, www.dupont.com
