Versalis to invest 125 million in Mantua

From 2014 to 2017 Versalis will invest 125 million euros in its Mantua site in order to optimise the industrial organisation and energy performance of the plants, as well as enlarge the area devoted to the research and development of innovative products and technologies. The Mantua site is integrated with the industrial areas of Porto Marghera (Venice), Ferrara and Ravenna, and manufactures some of Versalis's most innovative products, such as Extir CM Galileo, an ultra-light expandable polystyrene grade employed in thermal insulation systems that can reduce both energy requirements and carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, this site is of paramount importance for the production of intermediates and styrenes, of which Versalis is the third largest producer in Europe.
The Mantua site employs 962 people; this is in addition to the 350 people working for the company's suppliers. The "Claudio Buonerba" centre is a recognised point of excellence for basic chemistry and plastics research and is home to 200 researchers, technologists and process engineers. With an area of 15 thousand sq.m accommodating ten laboratories and five pilot plants, it is Versalis's largest research centre and the only cross-type one working for all business lines.