ST. LOUIS, Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Solutia announced today that it will upgrade its facility in Gent, Belgium to produce multi-layer rolls of Saflex® Q series advanced acoustic polyvinyl butyral (PVB) sheet for automotive applications. The expansion will serve growing global market demand for acoustic glazing, building on Solutia's current automotive acoustic production capacity in Santo Toribio, Mexico.
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"This project is a key part of the Saflex growth strategy and marks the latest step in our investment program for the business," said Tim Wessel, president and general manager, Advanced Interlayers division. "This expansion optimizes our production on a global scale to meet demand from the increasing number of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) acoustic automotive platforms around the world. Our Gent facility is the largest PVB sheet plant in the world. Adding acoustic technology for automotive applications complements the architectural acoustic investment made at Gent in 2010 and provides the highest degree of responsiveness and quality to our customers."
Automotive windscreens made with Saflex Q series advanced acoustic interlayer products provide state-of-the-art acoustical damping and sound control with all the safety benefits of windscreens made with traditional laminated glass. In addition, with Saflex Q series, automakers can decrease the thickness of the windscreen and replace standard tempered side glass with acoustic laminated side-lites, which can reduce vehicle weight by up to 10.5kg without compromising cabin comfort or safety.
The new acoustic production capabilities will be deployed within the current boundaries of the Gent plant, leveraging existing infrastructure and the plant's 40-plus years of experience in manufacturing Saflex products. The new upgrade will be designed to employ the latest technology, enabling the production process to be highly automated. In 2010, the company expanded its third extrusion line in the Gent facility to produce 3.2-meter wide rolls of advanced, multi-layer acoustic interlayer for the European architectural market.
The Saflex brand is known globally as the leader in PVB quality and reliability. When laminated between layers of glass, Saflex PVB interlayers greatly enhance the performance characteristics of glass, providing benefits such as safety, security, UV protection and sound attenuation. For more information about Saflex, visit: http://www.saflex.com/ .
Notes to Editor: SOLUTIA and Radiance Logo(TM) and all other trademarks listed below are trademarks of Solutia Inc. and/or its affiliates.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans," "estimates" or "anticipates," or other comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about the industries in which Solutia operates. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different from the future results or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risk and uncertainties described in Solutia's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including under "Cautionary Statement About Forward Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors", and Solutia's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These reports can be accessed through the "Investors" section of Solutia's website at http://www.solutia.com/ . Solutia disclaims any intent or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in response to new information, unforeseen events, changed circumstances or any other occurrence.
Corporate Profile
Solutia is a market-leading performance materials and specialty chemicals company. The company focuses on providing solutions for a better life through a range of products, including: Saflex® polyvinyl butyral interlayers for glass lamination and for photovoltaic module encapsulation and VISTASOLAR® ethylene vinyl acetate films for photovoltaic module encapsulation; LLumar®, Vista(TM), EnerLogic(TM), FormulaOne®, Gila®, V-KOOL®, Huper Optik®, IQue(TM), Sun-X(TM) and Nanolux(TM) aftermarket performance films for automotive and architectural applications; Flexvue(TM) advanced film component solutions for solar and electronic technologies; and technical specialties products including Crystex® insoluble sulfur, Santoflex® PPD antidegradants, Therminol® heat transfer fluids and Skydrol® aviation hydraulic fluids. Solutia's businesses are world leaders in each of their market segments. With its headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the company operates globally with approximately 3,400 employees in more than 50 worldwide locations. More information is available at http://www.solutia.com/ .
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Solutia Inc.
CONTACT: Media, Melissa Zona +1-314-674-5555, or Investors, Susannah
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Web Site: http://www.solutia.com/
http://www.saflex.com/
