To addresses the growing demand for its high-performance elastomers and serve an ever wider range of very demanding applications, Covestro launches the production of Desmodur 15 prepolymers at its Spanish site of Barcelona. Combining the highest mechanical characteristics with dynamic load-bearing capacity, elastomers based on Desmodur 15 prepolymers are not only one of the most powerful cast polyurethanes in the market, they are also as easy to process as conventional prepolymers.

"With this strategic investment, Covestro aims to further enlarge the capacity and improve the reliability of its global supply of Desmodur 15 based products," said Philip Bahke, Head of Operations at Covestro Elastomers.

"We are opening the new production unit for our Desmodur 15 prepolymers in Barcelona in parallel to the ongoing expansion of our NDI (naphthylene diisocyanate) capacities in the Asia-Pacific region with the Map Ta Phut plant in Thailand," explained Thomas Braig, Head of Covestro Elastomers. "This new production unit will help us to support our customers’ growth in the cast polyurethanes high-end applications segment".

"Thanks to this new production line, our Vulkollan licensees, as Desmodur 15 prepolymers processors, will be able to further develop their business," explainrd Abdel Arhzaf, Head of NDI-Vulkollan. "Through these investments, we intend to support the demand for ultra-high-performance elastomers used for superior applications as e.g. in the material handling industry and also for a growing number of engineering applications".