McPherson is Location of Invista’s First Kansas Manufacturing Plant

17 Feb McPherson is Location of Invista’s First Kansas Manufacturing Plant

INVISTA building new manufacturing facility to produce Raptor™ nylon pipe

Increased customer demand signals need for the company’s new line pipe solution

WICHITA, Kan., USA – Feb. 3, 2015 – INVISTA, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, will establish a new manufacturing operation in McPherson, Kansas, in order to expand production of its Raptor™ nylon pipe product. The company plans to complete conversion of an existing building in McPherson into a nylon pipe extrusion facility and expects to begin production by early spring.

“Establishing a production facility in Kansas brings a number of efficiencies to our customers, including reducing delivery time to targeted basins in the Midwest, flexibility in production, and leveraging the capabilities of a skilled central Kansas workforce,” said Kurt Burmeister, INVISTA executive vice president. “With demand for our product increasing, we need to increase our production capacity. This is especially true as the current price of oil has led to increased interest in our Raptor™ nylon pipe, given its performance benefits and potential cost-savings.”

Efficiently connecting wellheads to battery tanks is one of the areas where companies see the distinct value of Raptor™ nylon pipe. The product was engineered to reduce total job completion costs (material and installation costs) in order to get oil and gas flowing faster to market. In some cases, choosing Raptor™ nylon pipe can provide up to $25,000 per mile in cost savings for customers.

“In addition to producing our existing product portfolio, the new facility in Kansas will allow us to develop future products and react more quickly to urgent customer needs, which we also hope will add significant value to our customers’ operations,” added Burmeister.

After extensive research and testing for more than a year, Raptor™ nylon pipe launched commercially last year, and initial market acceptance has been positive from E&P operators for flow line applications. In addition to the product’s low maintenance cost, E&P companies find the ease and quickness of installation as a major factor in choosing Raptor™ nylon pipe.

The Raptor™ nylon pipe portfolio includes 1,000-foot coils of 2-inch, 3-inch and 4-inch IPS, and SDRs 7, 9 and 11. Six-inch pipe is expected to be available in second quarter 2015.

Key features of Raptor™ nylon pipe include:

• Performs in temperatures up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit;
• Maximum operating pressure up to 500 PSI;
• Fast installation with coils;
• Requires no de-rating for liquid hydrocarbons;
• Industry’s first nylon 6,6 homogenous single wall line pipe;
• Has better abrasion resistance compared with steel and high-density polyethylene*; and
• Has better impact resistance than fiberglass, HDPE and their composite pipes.

Raptor™ nylon pipe has been in successful operation for about 2 years, which has allowed the company to test and monitor the pipe in application to confirm its strength and durability.

INVISTA is the world’s largest producer of nylon 6,6 polymer and chemical intermediates, and has a track record of 75 years of nylon innovations. INVISTA applied its polymer science and innovation capabilities to help bring the inherent benefits of nylon 6,6—superior strength, heat tolerance and wear resistance—to the oil and gas market.

To learn more about INVISTA’s new line pipe, visit www.RaptorNylonPipe.com.

*Tested against 3-inch .188 ERW A53/x42 steel and 4710 HDPE.

About INVISTA

With leading brands including LYCRA®, COOLMAX®, CORDURA®, STAINMASTER® and ANTRON®, INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibers. The company’s advantaged technologies for nylon, spandex and polyester are used to produce clothing, carpet, car parts and countless other everyday products. Headquartered in the United States, INVISTA operates in more than 20 countries and has about 10,000 employees. For more information, visit INVISTA.com, Facebook.com/INVISTAglobal and Twitter.com/INVISTA.