Eastman Chemical Co. just celebrated the grand opening of a new plant exclusively dedicated to the production of Eastman Tritan copolyester at its headquarters in Kingsport, TN. The plant has expanded production capacity of Tritan to address increasing market demand for the material. Tritan, which is manufactured without bisphenol A (BPA), balances the properties of clarity, toughness, and heat and chemical resistance. Eastman introduced Tritan three years ago. It's rapid adoption necessitated the additional capacity. Company executives said that the new copolyester's properties are comparable to polycarbonate, but noted that Tritan is easier to process than polycarbonate.

“At Eastman, our philosophy is inspiring innovation to benefit our customers,” said Dante Rutstrom, vice president and general manager of Eastman's specialty plastics business. Rustrom said the company has worked closely with its customers to develop the BPA-free coployester to meet market demands. He said medical applications include rigid medical packaging and other medical products that require chemical resistance and easy processability. The company has also just released results of new third-party testing that confirm that the polymer is free of BPA and estrogenic activity.

The grand-opening celebration included tours of the new facility for local government officials, as well as select customers and employees, and presentations by Eastman executives, including Jim Rogers, president and CEO, and Mark Costa, executive vice president, specialty polymers, coatings and adhesives, and chief marketing officer.