German BYK Invests €12 Million to Expand Additive Production Capacity

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 21, BYK officially commissioned its expanded production and warehousing facility for high-performance additives in Schkopau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Located at the Dow ValuePark site, the project represents a total investment of approximately €12 million. The new extrusion line increases the site's production capacity by around 25%, while also expanding finished goods warehousing and logistics capabilities.

The newly commissioned extrusion line adds pellet-form product manufacturing capacity at the Schkopau site, with related products suitable for applications such as glass fiber coating and household appliances. The site primarily produces thermoplastic products and high-performance plastic modifiers, marketed under the SCONA brand. These products serve as coupling agents in plastics and plastic composites, enhancing material strength and durability.

The supporting warehousing facilities have also been expanded, adding 600 pallet positions and a loading dock for container cargo handling. With the new production line in operation, the additional warehousing and logistics capacity will accommodate the increased product turnover and further cover European market demand. Currently, the BYK Schkopau site employs approximately 50 people.

The expansion also included upgrades to the production site's energy system. The new heating system eliminates direct fossil fuel heating, operating instead on a combination of waste heat recovery and heat pumps. BYK plans to fully phase out fossil fuel use at the Schkopau site by the end of 2027 through another conversion project. Some of the production and energy technologies deployed here are being applied in this form for the first time within the BYK organization, and the company intends to transfer the operational experience gained at Schkopau to other production sites.

The Schkopau site has been part of the BYK-Chemie GmbH production network since 2011 and is one of BYK's high-performance plastic additive production sites in Germany. Over the past 15 years, BYK has invested a cumulative total of approximately €27 million at the site; this additional €12 million expansion project further enhances its manufacturing capabilities for thermoplastics and high-performance modifiers. Publicly available information does not explicitly state whether the aforementioned €27 million in historical investment includes the current project; therefore, the two investment figures are not combined.

BYK currently operates production sites in Wesel, Kempen, Schkopau, Moosburg, and Geretsried in Germany. According to parent company ALTANA data, the Group's sales reached €1.675 billion in the first half of 2026, up 3% year-on-year, or 8% on an operational basis; all business divisions posted operational growth. With the Schkopau expansion project now in operation, BYK's local production and supply capabilities in the European high-performance plastic modifiers segment have been further strengthened.