With special guests in attendance, the DuPont Research, Development and Engineering (RD&E) Centre in Kingston officially launched the start up of its DuPont™ Kevlar® Engineered Elastomer production facility on June 23. This innovative material is a composite of an elastomer and DuPont™ Kevlar® pulp. The strength of DuPont™ Kevlar® fibre - most frequently known for helping to save lives in bullet-resistant protective apparel – provides significant performance improvements for rubber based products such as tires, belts and hoses.

RD&E employees presented an overview of the production process to the guests, such as the Honourable John Gerretsen, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Jeff Garrah from the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, and Doug Muzyka, DuPont Canada's President and CEO. DuPont employees from the global Advance Fiber Systems business unit were also on-hand to participate in the celebrations.

After donning their safety gear, the guests were taken on a tour of the facility. In his remarks following the tour, Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux, Director of Research, Engineering and Business Development for DuPont Canada, commented how everyone at the Centre was excited to see the production facility officially launched in Kingston, since it "builds on our 50-year history of expertise in materials science, complex process development and successful commercialization of innovative products." Mr. Cudré-Mauroux thanked the project team for their "outstanding commitment and professionalism."

Minister Gerretsen also congratulated the employees for their success, and thanked the company and all employees for the positive contribution they have made to Kingston over the years.