DuPont Safety & Construction, a business unit of DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, plans to invest more than US$400 million to expand capacity for the manufacture of Tyvek nonwoven materials at its facility in Luxembourg. The production expansion, which will add a new building and third operating line at the site, is scheduled to start up in 2021.
“Global demand for DuPont Tyvek continues to grow worldwide in all of our key end-use markets,” said Rose Lee, President – DuPont Safety & Construction. “This capacity expansion plan is a critical step in growing the Tyvek business, maintaining our leadership in nonwoven materials, and delivering the innovation customers expect from DuPont.”
According to industry estimates, the global segments for potential Tyvek use total several billion dollars.
A world leader in nonwoven technology, in 2017 DuPont celebrated the 50th anniversary of Tyvek, a unique nonwoven material made of 100% high-density polyethylene that has enabled new dimensions of protection, security and safety in a wide variety of industries and applications. Core segments include:
Building envelope solutions, such as Tyvek HomeWrap, Tyvek CommercialWrap, DuPont Flashing Systems and Tyvek Protec to create more comfortable, energy-efficient buildings with fewer chances for moisture damage caused by water buildup;
Tyvek protective garments, which provide superior protection for workers in industrial and cleanroom applications and for first responders. Companies around the world use more than 200 million Tyvek garments per year.
Tyvek for medical packaging, widely used to help protect patients in healthcare settings. Since its introduction to the medical device industry more than 45 years ago, Tyvek has been recognized as a standard of excellence for sterile device packaging.
Tyvek for graphics and protective packaging, used in diversified, specialty applications, including cargo covers for pharmaceuticals and perishables, and as a substrate for envelopes, tags, labels, banners, wristbands, maps and artwork.