Afton Chemical Corporation, a global leader in petroleum additives, announced the recent completion of a $70 MM USD investment in its Sauget, IL Plant’s Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) additive production facility.
“We are committed to maintaining best-in-class manufacturing capabilities to better manage and respond to the needs of oil marketers and OEMs in the rapidly evolving EV market”
The investment will help support the growing needs of oil marketers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for next-generation developments in electric vehicle (EV) fluids, including hybrid and battery electric vehicles (HEV, BEV). The improvements will also provide additional capability and capacity to meet continuing quality standards such as IATF 16949.
“We are committed to maintaining best-in-class manufacturing capabilities to better manage and respond to the needs of oil marketers and OEMs in the rapidly evolving EV market,” said Ryan Pannell, VP of Manufacturing. “The investments improve the overall efficiency of our manufacturing footprint to ensure supply continuity for our customers.” With the support of its parent company NewMarket Corporation, Afton has invested over half a billion USD since 2016 in capability and capacity around the world.
“We are proud of the Sauget team’s ability to safely complete this complex project during the past two years. The capability and capacity added to the facility have us well-positioned to meet our customer’s increasing needs,” commented Kevin Steding, Sauget Plant Manager.
Afton Chemical is a global leader in automatic transmission fluid (ATF) additives, resulting from many years of research and development with the world’s major OEMs. Afton leads the way in transmission additives for traditional step-type automatics and newer technologies, such as dual-clutch transmissions (DCT) and continuously variable transmissions (CVT) – and continues the leadership in electric transmissions.
“The rapid pace of change in HEV and BEV development brings additional lubricant demands and opportunities for enhanced performance, neither of which should be overlooked,” said Adam Banks, eMobility Marketing Manager. “Close supplier partnerships are vital to ensure that electrified transmission fluid (ETF) enables OEMs to keep driving powertrain designs forward without being held back. In addition, we continue to invest in new capabilities at our technology centers in the US, UK, China, and Japan for the unique testing and development capabilities necessary for EV product development and technology understanding. Our commitment to electrification and its role in delivering carbon improvement is part of Afton’s multi-faceted plan to make the world a better place.”