Ascend cuts ribbon on greenfield HMD plant in China

October 23, 2024

Ascend Performance Materials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the startup of its hexamethylene diamine plant in Lianyungang, China. The ceremony was attended by government officials, customers and suppliers.

Ascend’s new HMD plant in Lianyungang is the first chemical production facility and the largest investment the company has made outside of the United States. The site’s nameplate capacity increases Ascend’s total HMD capacity by approximately 50%, matching the company’s two other HMD plants in Decatur, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida. HMD is a key raw material for the production of polyamide 66. The plant will also produce Ascend’s FlexaTram® specialty amines, which are used in coatings, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas production and other industries.

Ascend, one of world's largest fully integrated polyamide 66 producers, has made a series of investments over the past five years to grow its manufacturing footprint and achieve its aggressive sustainability targets.  

“The opening of this site marks a new milestone in the history of Ascend,” said Phil McDivitt, Ascend’s president and CEO, “We undertook our global expansion to be closer to our customers and thanks to the support received from the local and provincial government, as well as from the Xuwei New Area Park administrators, we are now delivering high-quality HMD to our customers throughout the region.”

Construction of the park began in 2022 and was successfully completed in September 2024. The construction team achieved over 3 million hours of work without a recordable injury.

“China and Asia remain high-growth markets for us,” said Dr. Kevin Wu, Ascend’s senior vice president and managing director for Asia, “This new plant is a symbol of our commitment to growing in the region by offering exceptional products and customer service while operating safely. Our sincere gratitude to the Xuwei New Area Park administrators and the officials in Lianyungang for their support in this successful project.”