Eastman Chemical Company announced it is making an investment to upgrade and expand its extrusion capability for production of interlayers product lines at its manufacturing facility in Ghent, Belgium.

The investment will strengthen Eastman’s supply capability to respond to growing regional and global demand for Saflex polyvinyl butyral (PVB) products in the automotive premiums market while also positioning the site for future growth in both automotive and architecture segments. The project is expected to be completed by 2026.

“We are committed to supporting the growing global demand for specialty interlayers products, strengthening our regional service capabilities in Europe, and investing in asset capabilities to serve glass laminators’ needs for innovative, high-performance and high-quality products,” said Sabine Ketsman, division president of Eastman’s Films business.

“Strong macrotrends in enhancing connectivity, autonomous driving and electrification are fueling increased demand for Eastman’s Automotive Premium products, including Saflex Horizon Vision for head-up displays, Saflex color and solar portfolio, and new solutions like Evoca RSL for electric vehicles. We are excited about the opportunities this investment creates to further enable our innovation-driven growth strategy and provide increased service differentiation for our customers.”

Saflex interlayers are made of PVB films laminated between two sheets of glass.