NatureWorks’ PLA production facility construction in Thailand on track
NatureWorks has made significant progress on the construction of new fully integrated Ingeo PLA biopolymer manufacturing facility in Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand.
NatureWorks’s new Ingeo PLA manufacturing facility in Thailand.
As a fully integrated PLA complex, the plant will include three manufacturing facilities – lactic acid fermentation, lactide monomer production and polymerization.
Construction is on track to support projected start-up activities, while full production of the facility is expected in 2025, with an annual capacity of 75,000 tons of Ingeo biopolymer and produce full portfolio of Ingeo grades.
Critical equipment is now onsite at the new facility, including the melt crystallizer.
Ingeo biopolymer produced at this site will be made from sugarcane, an annually renewable feedstock that is locally abundant and will be sourced from farms within a 50-kilometer radius of the Nakhon Sawan site.
Steve Bray, VP of Operations, explained that the new facility represents NatureWorks’ continued investment both in the Asia Pacific region and in the expansion of the bio-based material market.
The new facility will also support rapid growth in multiple different markets, including 3D printing, nonwovens for hygiene, compostable coffee capsules, tea bags, flexible packaging and sustainable food serviceware.
“This new facility will enable us to meet growing consumer demand and continue providing unparalleled service to our international customer base,” concluded Jill Zullo, CEO at NatureWorks.
