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The new facility will help to secure the position of Borealis as a local supplier to automotive OEMs and tier partners in North America and will serve to strengthen the companies’ leadership position in Europe, Brazil and China.

Clare Goldsberry

May 25, 2017

2 Min Read
Borealis to build dedicated automotive compounding plant in North Carolina

Borealis (Vienna) reports that it will build a dedicated automotive polypropylene (PP) compounding plant in Taylorsville, NC, a decision that, the company said, demonstrates the continuing commitment of Borealis to the global automotive industry. Together with Borouge (Abu Dhabi), a joint venture between Borealis and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the company is “increasingly well-positioned to serve its automotive customers on a global basis. North Carolina has been selected for its strategic location and proximity to the company’s customer base, as well as for the business-friendly and supporting environment of the state and county," according to information released by Borealis.

The new facility will help to secure the position of Borealis as a local supplier to automotive OEMs and tier partners in North America and will serve to strengthen the companies’ leadership position in Europe, Brazil and China. With this investment, Borealis will step up its capacity, capabilities and support infrastructure, ensuring that its customers in North America receive the same high level of service as in the other regions.

“We are very excited to be expanding our automotive business in North America and look forward to working more closely with our customers in the region to deliver our global material innovations locally,” said Ken Wiecoreck, President of Borealis Compounds.

The North Carolina plant is scheduled to become commercially operational in early 2019 and will initially produce PP compounds in the Daplen family of thermoplastic olefins (TPO) and in the Fibremod range of PP short-glass-fiber (SGF) reinforced materials. The plant will complement existing Borealis Automotive Compounding assets in New Jersey, as well as the current production via tolling partners.

“We are aware that North America is a competitive market with established suppliers; however, we are convinced that our cutting-edge material solutions will continue to help our customers create value through innovation and enable us to grow with them on a global basis,” added Nicholas Kolesch, Head of Automotive Marketing at Borealis.

Broealis and Borouge have established a broad global portfolio of high-end PP TPO and SGF materials capable of solving the automotive industry’s most pressing challenges. Some of the latest innovations include new generation materials for part lightweighting through reduced filler content, chemical and mechanical foaming, or metal and engineering plastic replacement. Furthermore, the companies have recently introduced advanced products for improved surface aesthetics and paintability, pushing the boundaries for the quality perception of polypropylene applications. At the same time, Borealis and Borouge’s material innovations continue to deliver increasingly better mechanical properties and robustness in material processing, helping customers to achieve outstanding part performance and production efficiencies.

Building on its proprietary Borstar and Borlink technologies and more than 50 years of experience in polyolefins, Borealis and Borouge support key industries with a range of applications in the areas of energy, automotive, pipes, consumer products, healthcare and advanced packaging. 

About the Author(s)

Clare Goldsberry

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

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