Honeywell Resins and Chemicals To Expand Nylon Polymer Production Capacity

New Flexible Production Line at Existing Chesterfield, Va., Site to Produce Polymer for Packaging Film, Other Applications

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Honeywell

Apr 29, 2014, 09:00 ET

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J., April 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) Resins and Chemicals announced today that it will expand production capacity at its Chesterfield, Va., facility to meet demand for high-grade nylon polymers for packaging film and other applications.

The new production line will be able to produce both nylon 6 and copolymer nylon 6/6.6 resins, with flexibility to produce either or both as needed to match customer demand. The new line will have a capacity of 40,000 metric tons per year and is expected to start production in the fourth quarter of 2015, expanding capacity at the facility to 200,000 metric tons per year.

"We continue to invest in the production capabilities to meet our global customers' current and future needs, and this new production line will provide greater flexibility to produce both nylon 6 and nylon 6/6.6 as required," said Qamar Bhatia, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Resins and Chemicals. "As a fully integrated nylon 6 producer, Honeywell remains well positioned as a reliable and competitive supplier to customers worldwide."

Honeywell's resins, sold under the Aegis^®brand name, are used in diverse applications such as fibers and filaments for carpeting, fabrics, nets and cords; engineered plastic components for automotive, consumer and industrial applications; and films for food and protective packaging. For food packaging applications, Aegis resins provide excellent barrier properties to oxygen, helping to retain flavor and maintain product freshness.

Honeywell Resins and Chemicals is also a major producer and global supplier of caprolactam, a merchant-grade, nylon 6 intermediate used in a range of applications, including carpet, textiles, engineering plastics, films and industrial filament. The Honeywell plant in Hopewell, Va., with a capacity of 350,000 metric tons of caprolactam per year, is one of the largest single-site caprolactam production facilities in the world. Honeywell caprolactam is sold globally and shipped either in molten or flake form to a variety of downstream customers.

Resins and Chemicals offers more than a half-century of technology and customer-focused application development expertise, and continues to invest in its research and development capabilities to enable sustainable growth worldwide. The business also conducts nylon-related research and development at technology centers in New Jersey and Virginia, where it operates laboratory-scale polymer reactors and blown film equipment, as well as in Shanghai, China, where the business recently installed a laboratory-scale multilayer coextrusion cast film line and has extensive analytical capabilities for resin development.

In addition to caprolactam and resins, Honeywell Resins and Chemicals sells chemical intermediates, including phenol, cyclohexanone and acetone. It is also a major producer of ammonium sulfate fertilizer, a co-product of caprolactam production, which is sold under the Sulf-N^® brand.

Honeywell Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT) is a global leader in developing advanced materials, process technologies and automation solutions. PMT's Advanced Materials businesses manufacture a wide variety of high-performance products, including environmentally friendlier refrigerants and materials used to manufacture end products such as bullet-resistant armor, nylon, computer chips and pharmaceutical packaging. Process technologies developed by PMT's UOP business (www.uop.com) form the foundation for most of the world's refiners, efficiently producing gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, petrochemicals and renewable fuels. PMT's Process Solutions business (www.honeywellprocess.com) is a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, industrial power generation, chemicals and petrochemicals, biofuels, life sciences, and metals, minerals and mining industries.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.

This release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such forward-looking statements. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Honeywell