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Arkema boosts PVDF capacity in North America. The company's $20 million PVDF expansion in Kentucky strengthens North American supply for EV batteries, semiconductors, and data centre infrastructure markets. Talking points. Arkema SA has completed a 15% expansion of its polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) supply capacity at its Calvert City, Kentucky facility, responding to rising demand from electric vehicle and energy storage sectors. The $20-million project, announced in February 2025, was finished on time and within budget. * The expansion enhances Arkema's global leadership in PVDF production. * PVDF is crucial for battery applications, acting as a polymer binder in lithium-ion and sodium-ion cells. * A similar 20% expansion is planned for Arkema's facility in Changshu, China, set for completion in 2028. This development underscores Arkema's commitment to meeting the growing needs of strategic markets while reinforcing its position in the specialty materials sector. Powered by: In a move that positions it to capitalize on surging demand from the electric vehicle, energy storage, semiconductor, and data centre sectors, France-based specialty material maker Arkema SA has completed a 15 per cent expansion of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) supply capacity at its facility in Calvert City, Kentucky. Announced in February 2025, the US$20-million project was delivered on time and within budget, Arkema officials said in a June 23 statement. "This expansion marks an important step in strengthening our global PVDF leadership and our ability to support the rapid growth of strategic markets," said Laurent Tellier, senior vice president of Arkema's High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases. "The continued strong growth observed across energy storage, electronics, and infrastructure applications confirms the relevance of this investment, which reflects our disciplined approach to capital allocation and our focus on delivering high-value specialty materials." PVDF has become an increasingly important material in battery applications, where it serves as a critical polymer binder in lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells, ensuring long-term vehicle range and structural durability. In addition, Arkema has recently announced a 20 per cent PVDF expansion at its facility in Changshu, China, which is expected to be completed in 2028.

Arkema expands PVDF production capacity in North America. Jun 26, 2026 / La Défense, France: Arkema has successfully started up a 15% expansion of its PVDF production capacity at its Calvert City, Kentucky, facility, strengthening its leadership in PVDF. The investment of around 20 million US dollars will support the growing demand for energy storage systems and semiconductors, as well as data center rapid expansion, it said. Announced in February 2025, the investment has been delivered on time and within the initial budget, demonstrating Arkema's execution and project management capabilities, while supporting customers' growth. It will support increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries for Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS), the expansion of data centers driving cable demand and infrastructure and the growing semiconductor market, the company said. "This expansion marks an important step in strengthening our global PVDF leadership and our ability to support the rapid growth of strategic markets," said Laurent Tellier, Senior Vice President of Arkema's High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases. "The continued strong growth observed across energy storage, electronics and infrastructure applications confirms the relevance of this investment, which reflects our disciplined approach to capital allocation and our focus on delivering high-value specialty materials to our customers," he added. According to the company, the Arkema Calvert City site provides a local supply base for strategic North American markets. This expansion reflects the company's commitment to investing in each region to support customers and capture demand growth. Arkema has also announced a 20% PVDF expansion at its facility in China, expected to be completed in 2028.

Arkema expands PVDF capacity to meet battery demand. Arkema's $20 million PVDF expansion in Kentucky strengthens North American supply for batteries, semiconductors, and data center infrastructure markets. June 24, 2026 Strategic investment positions France-based Arkema to capture opportunities in digitalization and energy transition markets. Arkema has successfully completed a $20 million expansion of its polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) production capacity at its Calvert City, KY, facility, positioning the specialty materials company to capitalize on surging demand from the electric vehicle, energy storage, semiconductor, and data center sectors. Announced in February 2025, the project was delivered on time and within budget, demonstrating Arkema's execution capabilities while strengthening its leadership position in the North American PVDF market. The expansion directly addresses accelerating demand driven by global energy transition and digitalization trends, particularly for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESS), as well as cables and infrastructure supporting rapid data center growth. "This expansion marks an important step in strengthening our global PVDF leadership and our ability to support the rapid growth of strategic markets," said Laurent Tellier, senior vice president of Arkema's High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases. "The continued strong growth observed across energy storage, electronics, and infrastructure applications confirms the relevance of this investment, which reflects our disciplined approach to capital allocation and our focus on delivering high-value specialty materials." Commitment to regional investment. The Calvert City expansion reinforces Arkema's commitment to regional investment strategies that support customers and capture local demand growth. The facility provides a reliable supply base for strategic North American markets, ensuring customers have access to critical materials as their operations scale. Arkema's global PVDF footprint continues to expand beyond North America. The company recently announced a 20% capacity increase at its China facility, expected to complete in 2028. With production sites spanning North America, Europe, and Asia, Arkema maintains a strong position to serve worldwide demand and ensure supply chain reliability. The investment aligns with Arkema's broader strategic focus on specialty materials. During its May quarterly earnings report, the company highlighted its continued execution toward specialties, expecting improved momentum in Adhesive Solutions and High Performance Polymers in the second quarter. "After a relatively weak January and February, first-quarter performance was eventually slightly better than expected, with the Group demonstrating solid resilience," said Chairman and CEO Thierry Le Hénaff. "This was notably supported by our development in key attractive markets, the continued growth in Asia, as well as our sustained efforts to tightly manage fixed costs." The completion positions Arkema to serve growing semiconductor manufacturing requirements and infrastructure demands as industries accelerate adoption of advanced materials for next-generation applications. Production expansion in China. In May, Arkema announced a 20% expansion of production capacity at its Changshu Kynar PVDF facility in China, scheduled to start up in 2028. "This expansion marks an exciting milestone for Arkema, as we are investing once again with confidence to increase and strengthen our capabilities in Changshu," Tellier said. "This investment will allow us to continue to support our customers' growth with even more agile and reliable supply, while addressing the market's need for constant and rapid innovation." Editor-in-chief of PlasticsToday, David Hutton is a journalist with more than 25 years of experience as an editor and writer with daily newspapers and trade publications. A Kent State University graduate, he was born in Canton, OH, and is a lifelong writer. David started his professional career as a reporter and page designer with the Parkersburg Sentinel in Parkersburg, WV. He returned to his hometown, taking a role with the Massillon Independent, where he rose to the position of managing editor. David's career next took him to October Research Corp., where he worked for trade publications in the real estate settlement services industry before returning to daily newspapers as news editor for The Times-Reporter in Dover-New Philadelphia, OH. While there, he oversaw design of the newspaper and won an Associated Press award for Best Page 1 Design. In 2012, David joined the staff of Plastics News as research analyst. He was responsible for the production of data research reports providing analysis of various segments and end markets of the plastics industry. He also produced content for the publication. In 2019, David joined Ophthalmology Times, serving as managing editor of the publication covering the latest advancements in the ophthalmology industry for physicians and clinicians. David lives in Canton, OH, with his wife, Arionne. They have three grown children, Paige, Chandler and Connor. Their "zoo" also includes two cats, a parrot, and a pug, named Freddie. An avid sports fan, David follows the Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers, and Guardians as well as the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also enjoys movies, classic rock, and reading. He enjoys sports cars, and owns a Camaro and a Corvette. 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