Demand Drives DuPont Kevlar Manufacturing to Full Capacity Operation

Responding to a growing demand for DuPont™ Kevlar® brand products, DuPont Protection Technologies has restored all Kevlar® manufacturing facilities to operate at full capacity. In addition, construction of a new Kevlar® plant at DuPont’s Cooper River site in South Carolina continues to move forward and will enable the company to produce higher performing, next-generation fibers.

“We are seeing greater demand for current and more advanced products across markets including automotive, aerospace, personal protection, and many industrial applications,” said Dale Outhous, global marketing director – DuPont Protection Technologies. “As a result, all Kevlar® manufacturing facilities are again producing at full capacity, and construction of the new plant at Cooper River is progressing rapidly.”

The new Kevlar® facility, an investment exceeding $500 million, is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of 2012.  It will incorporate the latest fiber production technology and enable the business to deliver higher performing products like the recently introduced Kevlar® AP for industrial applications and Kevlar® XP™ for ballistic protection.

 

Demand has driven other investment as well. This includes increased research and development spending for additional technical personnel; state-of-the-art testing, modeling, and simulation equipment; new laboratories in Brazil and India; and, more recently, expanded aramid ingredients capacity to improve production rates for DuPont® Kevlar® and Nomex® products.

“While these investments are crucial to speed innovation and provide additional services for customers and development partners, the business also must retain its financial health for continued growth,” Outhous said.  This week DuPont Protection Technologies communicated to its Kevlar® customers that effective Oct. 1, 2010, or as contracts permit, the business will increase pricing for DuPont™ Kevlar® products by an average 5 percent globally.

 

DuPont (www.dupont.com) is a science-based products and services company.  Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere.  Operating in more than 90 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

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