Röhm Invests Worldwide

• New sustainable technology for MMA production
• Expansion of capacities in Worms, Shanghai and Wesseling
• Increase in research and innovation activities

Röhm is constantly advancing its growth strategy with investments in the important world regions of Europe, China and the USA. Started as an independent company three years ago with the goal of creating the leading Methacrylate Verbund, Röhm is well on its way to achieving this target. The central component of the strategy and the flagship project is the construction of a production plant for methyl methacrylate (MMA) in Bay City, Texas (USA) where the innovative LiMA technology developed by Röhm is used.

The new technology enables high product yields with low energy consumption and reduced volumes of wastewater. The plant will produce 250,000 metric tons of MMA per year. “With the commissioning, we will further improve our delivery times and delivery reliability worldwide,” says COO Hans-Peter Hauck. The significant expansion of the MMA production is the basis of further global investments in the group. This is because MMA is an indispensable primary product in the production of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which Röhm sells under the brand PLEXIGLAS® (ACRYLITE® in the Americas).

In this way, Röhm is investing in the systematic expansion of its capacities for PMMA molding compounds. The expansion of a plant for modifiers for the production of impact-resistant PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds was just put into operation in Worms.

The expansion of the PMMA production plant in Worms is still under construction. Röhm is European market leader with its PLEXIGLAS® molding compounds and second worldwide. By increasing capacities, Röhm intends to support the high demand of the automotive industry in particular. In addition to the expansion work, the production process is also being optimized at the same time and a more energy-efficient process is being established. “Sustainability is an integral part of our business strategy”, says Hauck.

In July 2022, the company also announced a PMMA plant in Shanghai will be expanding its capacities and the compounding plant will be simultaneously expanded. “This will enable us to significantly expand our strong market position in China as well”, says Hauck.

In addition to the PMMA capacity expansion, Röhm is also increasing its production capacities in the field of methacrylate bead polymers by about 25 percent. These are required for the production of road markings, printing inks or industrial paints. The expansion of a plant at the Wesseling site should be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The extensive investments are being flanked by the expansion of the research and innovation activities. With the technology center in Shanghai, which opened in 2021, an innovation center in Worms, which will be completed in 2023, as well as an innovation and technology center in Wallingford, Connecticut (USA), which will soon be completed, Röhm also wants to further expand its technological leadership on the path to becoming the leading Methacrylate Verbund.