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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Braskem Completes $10M Expansion at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Campus

11/17/2020
Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the world, completed a $10 million expansion of the company's U.S. Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

According to company officials, the expansion project adds eight new research and development laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment for developing new proprietary technologies to support innovations in Catalysis, Recycling and 3D Printing.

The I&T Center facility expansion is focused on catalysis and petrochemical process technology capabilities, expanding its 3D Printing research capabilities, and also contains advanced polymer characterization laboratories, which include chromatography, polymer cracking and microscopy analyses. Overall, the expansion complements the site's existing research and lab footprint and capabilities.

Srivatsan Iyer, Braskem Vice President of Strategy, Planning and Innovation & Technology, said, "The successful completion of our U.S. I&T Center expansion is designed to house the latest, cutting-edge equipment for research, which will allow Braskem to explore new avenues for growth. These new world class laboratories complement the diverse expertise of our I&T team members, and support Braskem's innovation goals, especially in the critical areas of circular economy, sustainability, recycling as well as additive manufacturing. The Braskem team's efforts to safely complete this ambitious investment project amid a worldwide pandemic really speaks to the commitment of Braskem towards technology development, and the confidence we have in the future, both as a company and as a client centric, technology innovator."

In accelerating its scientific research capabilities, Braskem said it is strengthening the development of proprietary technologies as well as continuing to build on client R&D partnership and collaboration programs. The new laboratories directly support the company's broader sustainability based innovation objectives and its Carbon Neutral Circular Economy goals.

Gilfranque Leite, Braskem Innovation and Technology Director, added "we have a clear value proposition when we make products with a lower carbon footprint or use plastic waste in a circular fashion. Our clients and brand owners have programs focused on these important areas, yet many don't have the in-house technology capabilities to do this R&D intensive work on their own. In partnering with Braskem, we can directly support them in achieving their sustainability goals, as well as create really exciting and disruptive technologies in our Pittsburgh I&T Center."

Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, and operations in Boston.

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