Ashland Commits to Major Capacity Expansion to Meet Customer Demand


Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc. recently announced plans to significantly expand production capacity of its Klucel hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) product line in Hopewell, VA. The expansion is expected to begin production in the second half of calendar 2016. Klucel HPC is a tablet binder and coating ingredient used in pharmaceutical applications and dietary supplements worldwide.

“Ashland is committed to the overall pharmaceutical market and has made a number of sizeable investments over the past 2 years to strengthen our position,” said David Neuberger, Vice President, Pharmaceutical Specialties, Ashland Specialty Ingredients.

Those investments include the opening of Ashland’s pharmaceutical center of excellence in Hyderabad, India, earlier this year; the pending expansion of Ashland’s technical capabilities in Wilmington, DE, and the Polyplasdone crospovidone expansion in Texas City, TX.

Ashland Specialty Ingredients is the No. 1 global producer of cellulose ethers and a global leader in vinyl pyrrolidones. It offers industry-leading products, technologies, and resources for solving formulation and product-performance challenges. Using natural, synthetic, and semi-synthetic polymers derived from plant and seed extract, cellulose ethers, and vinyl pyrrolidones, as well as acrylic and polyurethane-based adhesives, Specialty Ingredients offers comprehensive and innovative solutions for today’s demanding consumer and industrial applications. For more information, visit www.ashland.com.