Chevron Oronite announced last Thursday it is steadily moving forward on expansion projects at its manufacturing plant in Gonfreville, France. A project to expand dispersant production recently reached full start-up and the Company has broken ground on a project that will increase detergent production capacity at the plant.

“We are pleased that these initiatives at Gonfreville have moved forward as planned,” said Jirong Xiao, vice-president sales and marketing, Chevron Oronite. “These projects, as well as others in our supply chain, will help better position us to serve growing markets around the world and to continue providing differentiated engine oil additives for the foreseeable future.”

Dispersant capacity at Gonfreville will increase by over 25 percent and the detergent expansion project will effectively double Carboxylate and Sulfonate production capacity at the plant. “Another benefit for our customers is that these projects will help further strengthen Oronite’s global supply chain reliability and flexibility by enhancing our ability to meet supplemental detergent and dispersant needs across our global network,” added Xiao.

Other major investment projects previously announced by Oronite are also progressing as scheduled. Oronite’s largest expansion project, adding manufacturing capacity, blending and shipping capacity, and improving the overall infrastructure of the company’s Singapore plant, is expected to be mechanically complete in early 2014. Upon full start-up, the plant will have essentially doubled its capacity since it was commissioned in 1999. In addition, the Company continues to advance a planned project to add Carboxylate detergent production capability at the Singapore plant as previously announced.

Carboxylate is an advanced, sulfur-free detergent often used in high-performance additive packages. Oronite is a market-leader in developing formulations that are based on Carboxylate chemistry, and the technology provides the performance and flexibility to help deliver differentiated solutions to its customers.

Headquartered in San Ramon, California (USA), Chevron Oronite maintains three regional offices in Houston (Americas Region), Paris (Europe-Africa-Middle East Region), and Singapore (Asia-Pacific Region); manufacturing sites in Belle Chasse, Louisiana (USA), Gonfreville (France), Singapore, and Mauá (Brazil); an affiliated blending and shipping plant in Omaezaki, Japan; and interests in additive companies in India and Mexico.