GE Bayer Silicones plans to invest in additional production capacity for liquid silicone rubber (LSR) at its facility in Leverkusen, Germany to help meet expanding European and global demand.

GE Bayer Silicones plans to invest in additional production capacity for liquid silicone rubber (LSR) at its facility in Leverkusen, Germany to help meet expanding European and global demand. Darrell Hughes, GE's global business manager for Elastomers, said: 'GE's technology for liquid injection moulding of silicone elastomers offers customers significant productivity advantages and new design opportunities. With our innovative LSR technology, we are a global leader in this growing product segment.

Last year we brought our LSR production facility in Thailand on line to support growth in Asia.

With Thailand, we now have the capability to supply locally from the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

In Europe, our teams increased GE's LSR capacity by more than 10 per cent during the last year by applying LEAN and six sigma methodologies.

However, more capacity is needed, so we are expanding the Leverkusen plant to help meet customer demand.

The new equipment will produce standard grades as well as customer-specific LSR materials.

The new investment will support our continuous growth and confirms our long-term commitment to this product line.' Liquid silicone rubber is used to produce high-performance moulded articles for various industries and applications.

Examples are seals and connectors for the automotive industry, baby nipples and pacifiers for the infant care industry, components and seals for the healthcare industry, or insulators and cable accessories for the high voltage industry.