Styron adds SSBR production line in Germany

Styron has added an SSBR (Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber) rubber production line aimed at supplying tyre manufacturers to its factory in Schkopau, Germany. According to the company, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt Germany and other dignitaries celebrate the opening. The new production line introduces an additional capacity of 50,000 metric tons at the production facility in Schkopau, Germany.

Marco Levi, Styron’s vice president and general manager for Emulsion Polymers, described this expansion as a continuation of Styron’s history of growth in the rubber arena, with the most recent expansion in 2009 when the company brought another new SSBR train on stream. 

“SSBR is a valued and strategic business within Styron and is core to the company’s growth plans. Since the company’s formation, the rubber business has been the top recipient of new capital investment,” said Levi. “Styron is dedicated to partnering with its customers to design and develop rubber technology that will help them upgrade their line of tyres to address global trends and regulatory standards. We are innovating for tomorrow, on a platform of 75 years of rubber expertise.”

According to Francesca Reverberi, business director for Rubber at Styron, Styron built this new train in response to the clear and increasing market need for high performance tyres. 

“Motivated by sustainability goals, driven by economical advantages and pushed by legislation and regulations, automobile producers and tire producers need to develop products with long life, fuel savings and safe technology. Accordingly, there is a need for tyres with low rolling resistance combined with excellent wet grip and abrasion resistance in the tread,” explains Reverberi. “Using SSBR in the compounds is seen as a key enabling technology for delivering these three contradictory characteristics. Our people have the know-how to design the polymer but also to produce it on a big scale. Thanks to our R&D capabilities in Schkopau, the second generation SSBR technology, reduces the rolling resistance indicator up to 35 per cent versus Generation 1 SSBR. We have an ongoing commitment to continue innovating for our customers and are already developing the third and fourth generation.”