LA PORTE, Texas and PHILADELPHIA, May 7,
2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Braskem (B3: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6;
NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), highlights its first full year of UTEC®
Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) production at its
La Porte, Texas production
facility by introducing new market leading innovation including its
new UTEC® 9540, the highest molecular weight polyethylene polymer
commercially available worldwide.
Braskem, the largest thermoplastics polyolefins producer in the
Americas and the worldwide leader in bio-polymers, serves UHMWPE
clients globally with increased flexibility and product
availability from its UTEC® facilities in the U.S. and Brazil, which have a combined annual UHMWPE
production capacity of 70 kilotons. Braskem sells high-performance
UHMWPE under the trade name UTEC®, developed and produced through
Braskem's proprietary technologies.
Christopher Gee, UTEC Global
Director, commented, "As we celebrate our first full-year of UTEC®
production at our La Porte, Texas
facility, and extend our product portfolio, we have strengthened
Braskem's clear position as a market leader for UHMWPE clients
worldwide. The successful UTEC® technology transfer from our
operations in Brazil to the U.S.
has allowed Braskem to increase UTEC® production capacity, expand
its global footprint, and enhance client responsiveness. With
global demand for UHMWPE increasing, including a rising presence in
high-growth markets such as energy storage, we feel confident that
we made the right decision to invest in this technology. We
look forward to expanding our leadership position in the market
through new products offerings and strategic partnerships. The
future for UTEC® has never been brighter."
UTEC® 9540 has a molecular weight over 50 times higher than High
Density Polyethylene (HDPE) resins and is used in applications that
require extreme abrasion resistance. This latest addition to
Braskem's UTEC® portfolio extends the depth and breadth of products
available to a wide range of applications including RAM extruded
and compression molded sheets, rods, and profiles.
Braskem's UTEC® is an engineered polymer with excellent
mechanical properties, such as high abrasion resistance, impact
strength and low coefficient of friction. It is a self-lubricating,
high-strength, lightweight machinable product used for
semi-finished goods. Eight times lighter than steel and lasting ten
times longer than HDPE, UTEC® is utilized across a vast array of
applications in the following industries: construction,
agriculture, material handling, transportation, textile, pulp and
paper, food and beverage, mining, marine, porous plastics, oil and
gas, high performance fibers, energy storage, and waste water
treatment. UTEC® has products spanning a range of molecular weights
and particle sizes. The molecular weight begins in the low range (3
million g/mol) and extends to a high range (7 to 11 million
g/mol).
For additional information about Braskem's UTEC® product
benefits and applications, please visit online at
www.braskem.com/UTEC®.
Braskem is hosting a client and partner pavilion at NPE2018, the
world's leading plastics trade show and conference, from
May 7-11, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Visit us in the South Hall
at booth S22001 to meet with the Braskem team and learn more about
UTEC® UHMWPE.
ABOUT BRASKEM
With a human-oriented global vision of the future, Braskem
strives every day to improve people's lives by creating sustainable
solutions with chemicals and plastics. Braskem is the largest
producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas and the leading
producer of biopolymers in the world, creating more
environmental-friendly, intelligent and sustainable solutions
through chemicals and plastics. Braskem exports to clients in
approximately 100 countries and operates 41 industrial units, which
are located in Brazil,
United States, Germany and Mexico, the latter in partnership with the
Mexican company Idesa. For more information, visit
www.braskem.com.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of
Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading
producer of polypropylene in the United
States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, an Innovation and Technology
Center in Pittsburgh, and a new
operation in Boston focused on
leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and
advanced materials. For more information, visit
www.braskem.com/usa.
Braskem on social
media:
www.facebook.com/BraskemGlobal
www.linkedin.com/company/braskem
www.twitter.com/BraskemSA
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/braskems-utec-extends-global-ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene-uhmwpe-innovation-and-client-reach-300595263.html
SOURCE Braskem