Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE: OEC), a leading global supplier of specialty and high-performance carbon black, announced today that next year the company will invest to convert a reactor line at its plant in Ivanhoe, La., from manufacturing soft carbon black to producing hard carbon black, commonly used in tire treads.

“With the continued onshoring of tire production to the U.S., the carbon black supply-demand balance is getting tighter, particularly for hard carbon black,” CEO Corning Painter said.

“To help support this aspect of the automotive tire supply chain, we are going to invest in converting a reactor at our Ivanhoe plant, increasing the domestic supply of hard black by about 30,000 tons per year by mid-2022. Soft black capacity will be decreased by about the same amount,” Painter added.

Adding carbon black to tires makes them stronger, reduces treadwear, allows tire engineers to fine tune performance and protects from the damaging effects of UV light.

About Orion Engineered Carbons

Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE:OEC) is a global supplier of carbon black products including high-performance specialty gas blacks, acetylene blacks, furnace blacks, lamp blacks, thermal blacks, and other carbon blacks that tint, colorize and enhance the performance of polymers, plastics, paints and coatings, inks and toners, textile fibers, adhesives and sealants, batteries, tires and mechanical rubber goods, such as automotive belts and hoses. The company has over 125 years of history providing customized solutions from a network of 14 global production sites and is dedicated to responsible business practices that emphasize reliability, innovation and sustainability. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.

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