Zschimmer & Schwarz USA recently announced the opening of its greenfield synthetic ester plant in Ivey, Georgia. Production at the plant began in December 2018, with the first two reactors expected to be fully operational by March 2019.
The new facility, which was constructed to expand production beyond the company's headquarters in Milledgeville, Georgia, will manufacture lubricant-grade synthetic esters. Upon completion of phase one, the plant will increase Zschimmer & Schwarz's domestic synthetic ester capacity by 45 million pounds.
"We are very excited about the opening of the Ivey plant," said Bill Burton, CEO of Zschimmer & Schwarz. "After years of sustained growth, Ivey is necessary to support our current customer base and to expand into new areas. Not only does Ivey add much needed capacity, it is built using a state-of-the-art modular design that allows us to quickly integrate additional reactors as the need arises."
A key ingredient in formulating high-performance synthetic lubricants and metalworking fluids, synthetic esters are synthesized from organic alcohols and natural or synthetic fatty acids. The lubricant basestocks provide lubricity and additive compatibility and are environmentally friendly. The manufacturing process and feedstock selection define properties such as viscosity, volatility, stability, biodegradability and fire resistance.
Zschimmer & Schwarz began manufacturing synthetic esters, surfactants, phosphate esters and other specialty chemicals and chemical intermediates at its Milledgeville facility in 2003. The company's main markets include lubricants, metalworking, fiber finish, oilfield, water treatment, and emulsion polymerization.
For more information, visit www.lexolube.com.
