DuPont opens new elastomer production site in US

Wilmington, Delaware – DuPont has inaugurated a production facility for perfluoroelastomers in Newark, Delaware, to meet growing demand within the semiconductor and industrial sectors.

The new facility, located at DuPont’s Tralee Park Annex will “significantly expand” the US supplier’s capacity for the production of Kalrez perfluoroelastomer parts.

The site also features “a high-end ISO class 6 cleanroom, upgraded manufacturing equipment, optimised facility layout and space to support future business growth,” said DuPont 6 Nov.

In addition to more capacity, DuPont said the facility enables faster cycle times, and offers expanded areas for finishing, inspection, packaging and shipping.

These will then support higher capacity for customers globally, it added.

DuPont unveiled its plans for the new site in 2018, stating that it intended to relocate Kalrez operations from an existing site in Newark to a facility twice the size.

At the time, the company said it was investing $45 million in the 11,000-square-metre plant, to grow product lines for customers in the semiconductor, electronics and industrial markets.

According to the group, Kalrez elastomers are engineered to provide stability, resistance and effective sealing for various applications, from chemical processing to chip manufacturing.

Furthermore, the facility advances the group’s “sustainability agenda”, stressed Brian Ammons, global business director for Kalrez.

The unit, according to Ammons, integrates energy, IT infrastructure and building layout that “minimise energy consumption and maximise efficiency and productivity.”

The site will create 50 new positions, including operations, maintenance, engineering and “continuous improvement roles”.

Many of the roles will be “STEM-related and critical to safe manufacturing operations,” explained Nathan Whitmoyer, plant manager for Tralee Park and Tralee Park Annex.

Kalrez elastomer parts, he went on to say, "add value” and offer “reliable and innovative” solutions to customers and the industries they serve.