CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH – Emerald Kalama Chemical, a business group of Emerald Performance Materials, has completed its latest capacity expansion for K-FLEX^® non-phthalate plasticizers at its Kalama, WA, facility. This is the second expansion for the K-FLEX product line at the company’s Washington facility, effectively doubling its capacity since 2011. The company also commissioned a new K-FLEX manufacturing site in the Netherlands in 2012 as a part of its overall global growth strategy.

“The growing demand for our K-FLEX platform, coupled with the success of our latest product innovations, has fueled the need for our most recent expansion,” said Shamsi Gravel, Emerald Kalama's Product Line Manager for The Americas. “Over the last several years, we have been expanding our range of products into new applications to introduce more environmentally friendly products that provide performance advantages to our customers. During this time, we have launched five new products and filed four patent applications, demonstrating our value in a range of coatings, vinyl plastisol, adhesives and sealants, and graphic arts applications. This strategy is in direct response to changing needs in the marketplace as companies seek viable alternatives for phthalate plasticizers and high-VOC coalescents.”

K-FLEX plasticizers and coalescents are used in adhesives, PVC compounds, coatings and other latex polymer applications.