Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, today announced that it will invest in a new production facility for tetrasulfonated optical brightening agents (OBAs) at its existing production site in Prat del Llobregat, Spain.

The significant investment focuses on extending production capacities primarily to serve demand in Europe and providing a platform for future innovations to be introduced in sustainable whiteness solutions.

Tetrasulfonated OBAs are the most commonly used optical brightening agents in papermaking. Their suitability for use in all parts of the machine and production process is valued by customers requiring a versatile product or those with limited storage facilities.

The new capacity is expected to come on stream by mid-May 2017, bringing Archroma to a substantial OBA capacity level in Europe, and is designed to be extended even further over the next few years. Archroma will also add to its production team in Prat del Llobregat to support the investment.

Valerie Diele-Braun, President of Archroma Packaging & Paper Specialties, commented: “With this investment we confirm our position as the leading supplier of OBAs to the paper industry. We are on our path to further increase Archroma’s service and supply to our customers by responding to their increasing request to us for reliable quality products.”

“This investment will not only expand our production capabilities but will pave the way for us to introduce the innovative and more sustainable chemistries we are currently developing,” she added. “It represents an important milestone, underlining Archroma’s continuous commitment to delivering innovation and cost efficiency to this segment and customer.”