Evonik opens bigger silica plant in Thailand

Evonik opened its expanded production for precipitated silica in Rayong, Thailand in a festive ceremony held on 14 March. With this investment, Evonik increased its capacity for precipitated silica for the automotive industry, food and animal feed industry as well as the paints and coatings industry.  

"Expanding our manufacturing footprint in South East Asia, Australia & New Zealand highlights our commitment to this region and allows us to better serve regional markets with state-of-the-art products and optimum solutions," described Peter Meinshausen, Regional President South East Asia, Australia & New Zealand.  

Used in the tire and rubber industry, the combination of silica with silanes enables tire manufacturers to produce tires of much lower rolling resistance, thus reducing the overall fuel consumption by up to eight percent compared to traditional tires.  

The silica production, now a joint venture between Evonik Industries and Oriental Siam Company, was founded in 1990. Evonik came on board as majority shareholder taking charge of operating this Map Ta Phut site in 1999. This expansion, using Evonik’s latest technology, comprised enhancements of the production process to ensure highest levels of safety, productivity, and quality of the overall production.  

Evonik is one of the leading manufacturers of silica. In addition to precipitated silica, Evonik also produces AEROSIL fumed silica and silica-based matting agents under the ACEMATT brand. These are used in tires with low rolling resistance as well as in the paints and coatings industry, as flow additives and carriers in food, cosmetics and drug production, or in manufacturing silicon applications, among others. Overall, Evonik has a global capacity of around 500,000 metric tons per annum for precipitated, fumed silica, and matting agents.