$20 million investment coming to Arkema in Calvert City

Arkema Group is planning a new investment into its facility in Calvert City.

In a release, Arkema said the $20 million investment will mean expanding capacity as it increases the production of PVDF - polyvinylidene fluoride. PVDF has been produced at the plant for many years, but the increase comes as demand is ramping up in conjunction with its use in energy storage systems and electric vehicles. The investment will expand the manufacturing capacity for the product by about fifteen percent. 

The company said that the growing semiconductor and cable markets and the need for "high-performance resins" in the production of lithium-ion batteries are driving the growth.

Laurent Tellier, Senior Vice-President of Arkema's High Performance Polymers and Fluorogases said, "We are proud to take this step forward hand-in-hand with our customers. It demonstrates our commitment to develop our businesses on a global scale, by investing in each region to support local strategic industries. We will continue to invest proactively to support this growth, matching closely the reality of the evolution of the demand”.

Arkema manufactures PVDF not only in the U.S. but also in France and China. Investments are being made at plants in all three countries.

The increased production capacity is expected to be up and running by mid-2026. According to the Arkema website, the Calvert City plant employs about 250 people.


Photo courtesy of the Arkema website