Plastics : Polykemi opens own plant in North Carolina

The plastics compounding facility Polykemi plans to use over 7 million pounds of recycled PP and other materials per year, the company’s CEO said. The American company Polykemi Inc is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Swedish family business Polykemi and has, since its establishment in 2013, worked towards launching its own manufacturing of high-quality plastic compounds on the US market. The deal has now been completed.

Johan Hugoson, CEO of Sweden-based Polykemi Inc., told Plastics Recycling Update his company’s planned facility will initially produce over 14 million pounds of compounded resin each year, roughly half of which he expects to be recycled content. The recycled plastic comes from production scrap.

“We have delivered more than 10.000 tons to customers on the North American market via US toll compounders or by direct delivery from our main plant in Ystad. Though, our goal has always been to start our own production in the US. We have now reached that milestone. The new plant is geographically close to our existing customers, which gives us a clearer presence and even stronger customer relationships”, Johan Hugoson, CEO of Polykemi says.

The investment in the plant in Gastonia, outside Charlotte in North Carolina, is the largest single investment in the company’s history. The plant is about 50.000 square feet and is expandable up to 100.000 square feet. It will initially be equipped with two production lines, and the expected launch of manufacturing is during the second quarter 2022.