Eastman Announces Further Debottleneck of Carboxylic Acids Manufacture

Eastman Chemical Company announced an expansion of carboxylic acids capacity at its Longview, Texas, and Kingsport, Tennessee, facilities. The additional capacity is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014 and will add approximately 50 million pounds of carboxylic acids to support the increasing internal and external demand of the product.

“Eastman is committed to the continued optimization of its plants that produce these acids,” says Tony Ponder, business manager for Eastman’s Oxo Chemicals business unit of the Specialty Fluids & Intermediates (SFI) business segment.  “Our olefin crackers in Texas allow Eastman a competitive position in carboxylic acid production with the supply chain capabilities to ship globally.”

“Internal demand for our acids ensures our commitment to long-term efficient production for both internal and external customers,” says Chip Millican, business manager for Eastman’s Organic Intermediates business unit, also a part of the Specialty Fluids & Intermediates business segment. “These are important intermediate materials and we continue to invest in them. Additionally, our engineers have identified at least 20 million pounds of additional low cost capacity that could be implemented in the future as demand dictates.”

Manufacturing the products for more than 70 years, Eastman is a world leader in the production of carboxylic acids for multiple markets, including food and feed, pharmaceutical chemical intermediates, and agriculture.  Eastman offers a wide variety of grades of acetic, propionic, butyric, isobutyric, benzoic, and 2-EH acids appropriate for these and other end uses.

Eastman is a global specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction and consumables. Eastman focuses on creating consistent, superior value for all stakeholders. As a globally diverse company, Eastman serves customers in approximately 100 countries and had 2013 revenues of approximately $9.4 billion. The company is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA and employs approximately 14,000 people around the world.