Zschimmer & Schwarz USA opens greenfield synthetic ester plant

Zschimmer & Schwarz USA announced the opening of its greenfield synthetic ester plant in Ivey, Georgia, U.S.A. Production at Ivey began in December 2018 and the first two reactors will be fully operational by March 2019. Upon completion of phase one, the Ivey plant will increase ZSUS domestic synthetic ester capacity by 45 million pounds.

Following a decade of strong growth, Zschimmer & Schwarz USA built the Ivey plant to expand production beyond the headquarters’ factory in Milledgeville, Georgia.

The Ivey plant was built from the ground up to manufacture lubricant grade synthetic esters. It incorporates years of ester expertise and features an innovative, proprietary QEC Process to deliver unparalleled quality, efficiency and consistency. In addition, the Ivey plant has a modular design which makes it easier to accommodate future growth.

“We are very excited about the opening of the Ivey plant. After years of sustained growth, Ivey is necessary to support our current customer base and to expand into new areas. Not only does Ivey add much-needed capacity, but it is also built using a state-of-the-art modular design that allows us to quickly integrate additional reactors as the need arises. Ivey will allow Zschimmer & Schwarz, Inc. to build on its position as a supplier of high-quality ester based specialty chemicals,” said Bill Burton, CEO of Zschimmer & Schwarz, Inc.

Synthetic esters are a key ingredient for formulating high-performance synthetic lubricants and metalworking fluids. Synthesized from organic alcohols and natural or synthetic fatty acids, synthetic esters are environmentally friendly lubricant base stocks that provide excellent lubricity and additive compatibility.