(Richmond, VA). Lucy Simek, Rhodia’s VP of Polyamide, North America, told MPW the agreement with Alloy will allow Rhodia to produce the various grades of its nylon 6 and 6.6 Technyl brands according to existing customer specifications, with plans to expand product offerings in the future. Rhodia had compounded the materials from its manufacturing site in Mississauga, ON, where Simek said the production of surfactants and polymers sold by the Novecare division will continue.

Simek declined to disclose the production capacity that will be required of Alloy, and said that similar to Mississauga, the polyamide applied for Technyl will continue to be sourced from Rhodia’s current, unnamed domestic and overseas sources.

Simek said Technyl’s top North American markets are automotive, electrical/electronic, and consumer and industrial goods. “The automotive, construction, and textile markets worldwide have affected the global PA sales,” Simek said of the current slowdown.

For the entire Rhodia Group, about 17% of global sales, or €820 million euros, is generated from North American operations. The 10-acre site in Ontario opened in 1971, and since 2000 has housed its Novecare unit, which supplies the aforementioned surfactants and synthetic polymers for products like shampoos, detergents, soaps, paints, lubricants, and cleaners. The company says its engineering plastics business is the second largest supplier of nylon 6 and 6.6 to the automotive, transportation, E&E, and consumer goods markets.

Alloy, which is headquartered in Richmond VA, acts solely as a toll compounder and doesn’t market any of its own proprietary products. The company’s four facilities are spread among Texas, Ohio, and Virginia, with a total capacity exceeding 600 million lb, producing compounds for automotive and medical devices, as well as carbon black, nigrosine, and electrical compounds. —[email protected]