Ascend invests $175 million in Alabama plant

Ascend Performance Materials has finalized an agreement with the state of Alabama for economic incentives related to the construction of cogeneration units and expansion of adiponitrile capacity at its Decatur, Alabama, site. The $175 million project will expand ADN capacity, reduce the site’s environmental footprint and create new jobs.

 

Ascend’s board of directors approved the project, subject to finalized agreements with the state, Morgan County Economic Development Association and the City of Decatur. The plant's construction will create 150 skilled jobs during construction, 10 high-end manufacturing jobs by project completion and reduce emissions by 60 percent. Ascend currently employs over 400 people in the state of Alabama.

 

According to Phil McDivitt, Ascend’s president and CEO, the Decatur community is at the heart of Ascend business and that the ADN produced in the Alabama plant is a critical building block for nylon 6,6, a high-performance plastic used in a variety of products from life-saving vehicle airbags to high-voltage electrical connectors.

 

 

MasTec Power Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of MasTec, Inc. (NYSE), was selected to serve as the prime contractor for the project and will bring its 35 years of experience to provide innovative turnkey engineer, procure and construct (EPC) solutions and support. Construction will begin in the second quarter of 2020 and end in late 2021.

 

Ascend’s site in Decatur is one of only four plants in the world that produce ADN on a large scale. Ascend Performance Materials is a global premium provider of high-quality plastics, fibers and chemicals and is the world’s largest integrated producer of PA66 resin. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Ascend has nine global locations, including five fully-integrated manufacturing facilities located in the southeastern United States and an engineering plastics compounding facility in Europe, all dedicated to the innovation and safe production of polyamide 66. With three of the world’s largest chemical processing facilities, Ascend’s materials form the building blocks for products used in everyday applications from apparel to airbags, cable ties to circuit boards and carpets to car parts. Ascend’s 2,600-person global workforce is committed to making a difference in the communities we serve and leading the development of material solutions that inspire everyone, everywhere, every day.