Today the newly elected minister of economic affairs Mrs. Prof. Dr. Birgitta Wolff and other dignitaries joined leaders and employees from Styron to celebrate the construction of Styron’s new SSBR (Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber) production line. The groundbreaking ceremony introduced an additional capacity of 50,000 metric tons at the production facility in Schkopau, Germany, and will allow Styron to help customers around the world meet the increasing demand for high performance tires.

Styron Vice President, Emulsion Polymers Marco Levi described the additional SSBR capacity as a win-win situation for all involved. More sustainable solutions are being introduced for the global rubber industry and its end consumers. In his speech Levi marked this milestone as proof of Styron’s continual investment in the company’s core businesses.

“The investment in a new SSBR production line in Schkopau, Germany, is a strategic fit with our leadership position into the SSBR market,” said Levi. “We’ve been in this market for a long time and recognize the changing needs of our customers. Our additional SSBR capacity will help customers around the world develop their next generation of products and meet the increasing demand for greener, higher performance tires.”

The new production train will be built alongside existing trains and is expected to be fully operational by Q4 2012. With this capacity expansion, Styron envisions the creation of approximately 30 additional jobs at the Schkopau site. According to Ralf Irmert, business development director, Synthetic Rubber at Styron, the new train will focus on SSBR production, with the capability to produce all existing clear and oil extended Styron grades.

“As a result of new environmental legislation and of consumer incentives, it’s apparent that high performance tires with lower rolling resistance are the future. In close collaboration with our customers, we’re providing the market with solutions that result in better fuel efficiency and lower CO₂ emissions,” said Irmert. “Thanks to our team in Schkopau, we’ve been able to take a leadership position in the SSBR market, and with this additional capacity and a next generation synthetic rubber in the pipeline, we’ll continue to do so in the future.”