STANLEY, N.C. -- DSM Desotech Inc. announced the startup of operations at a new production facility for UV-cure coating materials and other specialty products in Stanley, N.C. The new facility, which has absorbed the operations of the company's plant in Charlotte, N.C., will produce fiberoptic coating materials and other specialty UV-cure materials including hard coats, CD lacquers, DVD bonding adhesives and rapid-prototyping resins.

DSM Desotech President Jan Paul de Vries said the production expansion reflects continued growth in the markets for UV-cure materials despite "current setbacks for the telecommunications industry." DSM Desotech is "staying focused on not only the long-term needs of the telecom market, but the growing demand for UV-curable materials in a variety of other industries," he said.

DSM Desotech also opened new production plants in The Netherlands in 1999 and in Japan in 2001. The company said the $33-million North Carolina plant is its largest and most technically sophisticated production facility. Desotech is a business unit of DSM, a diversified manufacturer of chemicals, performance materials and life-science products.

For more information, visit www.dsmdesotech.com.