Louisville, KY -- Continued strong demand for Zetpol HNBR elastomers has led to the need for another expansion of the manufacturing facility that produces the high performance polymer. Zeon Chemicals L.P. has begun work on increasing production capacity at the Houston, Texas facility; completion is expected by the first quarter of 2012.

The expansion will increase the plants Zetpol production capacity by 25 percent. A previous expansion of the facility that increased production by 10 percent was completed in 2010, but more is needed as the Zetpol business continues its global growth to include applications in the transportation, oilfield exploration and production, and roller market segments.

"Exceptional growth in our business and the world-class performance of our Texas facility are the reasons for this expansion," says Tom Gettelfinger, president and CEO of Zeon Chemicals. "We expect the Zetpol business to be a large part of our future and this project will help us achieve that."

Zetpol is a family of hydrogenated nitrile elastomers that provides excellent resistance to automotive fluids, fuels and high temperatures over the long term. Zetpol HNBRs are serviceable from -40°C to 160°C.