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DuPont Engineering Polymers today announced that production of its high-growth DuPont™ Vespel® parts and shapes has begun at its newest facility in Singapore.

“Demands for solutions to improve vehicle efficiency in the global automotive industry are driving a step change in our business.” said Dave Ritchey, global transportation director for Vespel®. “DuPont invested in this expanded capacity in order to support growth and meet these market needs on a global basis.” The Singapore facility joins four other Vespel® part plants strategically located to ensure rapid delivery of high-quality vehicle components and systems anywhere around the world. “It underscores the Vespel® business’s ability to meet customers’ needs by delivering big science, part by part, faster than ever before,” Ritchey added.

Other production facilities for Vespel® parts and shapes are located in Utsunomiya, Japan; Mechelen, Belgium; and Newark, Del., and Valley View, Ohio, in the United States. Polyimide resin for Vespel® parts is made in Circleville, Ohio.

For more than 40 years, the Vespel® parts and shapes business has delivered high-performance, cost-effective solutions for critical motion- and fluid-control systems, ranging from seal rings, thrust washers and spool valves to fork pads and solenoids in drivelines, and in vehicle emission systems, including bushings in EGR (exhaust-gas recirculation) systems and by-pass valves. In heavy-duty and off-road transmissions and hydraulic motors, Vespel® delivers cost-effective seal rings and thrust washers to meet demands for short lead times and low-volume production.

Proven applications such as transmission thrust washers and seal rings or small-motor bearings and bushings rely on its unmatched combination of high-temperature resistance, low wear, low friction, chemical resistance, precision, toughness and structural strength.

The Singapore plant incorporates the latest advances in process technology and lean manufacturing techniques. “We have taken care to ensure the new plant’s manufacturing excellence so that its Vespel® parts will meet or exceed customers’ expectations,” Ritchey added. The facility draws on the best practices employed at other Vespel® plants. Its process technicians received intensive training at Vespel® production facilities in the United States and Japan as well as on-site in Singapore for a year prior to the plant opening. In addition, manufacturing, quality and supply chain management includes a cadre of experienced people from other DuPont facilities in Asia.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

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Caption:
DuPont™ Vespel® parts used as seal rings in MINI’s automatic transmission reduce weight, allow assembly cost savings.

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