Dive Brief:
- Chemical titan DuPont de Nemours opened a new manufacturing facility in Newark, Delaware, last month.
- The 120,000-square-foot plant is DuPont’s third manufacturing site in Newark. It created 50 jobs and will produce Kalrez products for DuPont's customers in the semiconductor and industrial industries, according to the release.
- The company initially acquired the site in 2018 and invested approximately $45 million to increase its manufacturing capacity and transition production of Kalrez from one of its existing Newark facilities.
Dive Insight:
DuPont has been working to grow its chip and electronics production capacity as demand has grown in recent years.
Kalrez is DuPont's perfluoroelastomer brand, an engineered material used for sealing applications in the aerospace, electronics, energy and industrial industries. The fluorocarbon rubber-like materials can help chips resist chemicals, solvents, steam and extreme heat during semiconductor production. Kalrez is also a form of PFAS called perfluoromethylvinyl ether (PMVE).
"We are committed to partnering with our customers on innovation and pride ourselves on driving operational excellence and delivering supply reliability and consistent superiority in quality performance," Brian Ammons, global business director for Kalrez, said in a statement.
DuPont’s presence in Newark has come under scrutiny in recent weeks as the city fights back against what it claims are harmful PFAS emissions contaminating the area. The Newark city council voted on Nov. 27 to participate in two PFAS contamination class action lawsuits, one against DuPont, Corteva and Chemours, and another against 3M, Jayme Gravell, the city's chief of community engagement, told Manufacturing Dive.
The city has yet to estimate how much it will receive from the settlements, but officials are forecasting approximately $1 million, Gravell said in an email.
"We know that it's unlikely that it's going to be enough or substantial to cover the ongoing capital and operating expenses for treatment of PFAS," Gravell said. "But anything that we can get does relieve a little bit of the burden on our taxpayer."
In June, DuPont, Corteva and Chemours reached a $1.18 billion settlement agreement to resolve all PFAS-related drinking water contamination claims against them. 3M followed a couple of weeks later with a $10.3 billion settlement.
The chemical giants also established a settlement-specific website for class members to view and estimate the amount of money they may receive under the proposed settlement agreement if they choose to participate.
"Protecting human health and the environment are engrained in our core values," a DuPont spokesperson said in a statement to Manufacturing Dive. "We are committed to continuous improvement of our chemical stewardship process and to upholding the highest standards for the products and innovations we deliver to our customers."
