Borealis and Borouge have announced that the new compounding plant of Borealis in Taylorsville, North Carolina, US, has come on stream during Q1 2019 as planned, with the inauguration of the facility scheduled for 16 May 2019.

ŠKODA Auto
Borealis Daplen™ EE058AI grade used in parts of the new ŠKODA SCALA offers weight savings without compromising performance
Borealis Daplen™ EE058AI grade used in parts of the new ŠKODA SCALA offers weight savings without compromising performance
With dedicated production lines for TPO and short glass fibre (SGF) reinforced compounds, the plant is ideally located to meet the growing needs of OEMs and Tier 1 customers in the region for advanced PP solutions, while adding another 30kt to Borealis and Borouge’s global PP compounding capacity.
The 50,000 square foot facility offers further expansion possibilities to meet the growing demand of customers.
Lucrèce Foufopolous, Executive Vice President Polyolefins and Innovation & Technology, Borealis, said: “With the commercial and product development personnel well out of the starting blocks, our North American automotive team is set to drive the further growth of our automotive business in North America. Following the plant’s mechanical completion in December, first samples were shipped in February, and several projects with leading North American and European OEMs have already been secured.”
The new plant is an important addition to the global network of established compounding plants in Europe, China and Brazil.
In line with the company’s commitment to automotive engineering, Borealis has also added an advanced new material to its low-density polypropylene portfolio for interior applications, Daplen EE058AI, which is available in all Borealis and Borouge sales regions.
Borealis’ new PP compounding plant at Taylorsville, North Carolina, adds 30kt to the company’s global production capacity for automotive thermoplastic olefin and short glass fibre reinforced material grades.
The lower dashboard, glove box and centre console of the new Škoda Scala are moulded in Daplen EE058AI, a low density 10 per cent talcum filled and elastomer modified polypropylene compound from Borealis, enabling weight savings of 6.5%.