Victrex begins 90m expansion

Victrex Polymer Solutions has started the construction of a new £90m polyether ether ketone (PEEK) production plant on the Fylde coast.

The investment in its Hillhouse facility will increase its output capacity by 70% - up from the current 4,250 metric tonnes per annum to more than 7,000 metric tonnes.

The extra 2,900 tonnes is likely to come on stream in 2015 and the company hopes that this will lead to the creation of as many as 30 new jobs.

Victrex is a world-renowned supplier of the high performance PEEK polymer, a high temperature plastic, and metal replacement polymer also known as polyetheretherketone and polyketone.

The company hopes increasing production capacity will help to secure existing contracts with customers in the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as a recent move into the oil and gas industry.

In addition to the company’s Lancashire headquarters, where it employs 300, Victrex has a further ten locations around the world, including the USA, Korea and India.