LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium -- As part of its strategy to expand sales through expansion into Europe, Solutia Inc. has announced plans to start production of a range of Gelva pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) products at its plant in Dijon, France.

"We're excited about the opportunity this new production capacity will give us to expand our presence in Europe," said Nathalie Delava, European product manager for the adhesives business line. "By bringing local production on stream, we expect to be able to better serve our customers, enabling us to be a significant supplier throughout Europe."

The manufacturing unit at Dijon will produce solution-acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive products. Production will start in the second half of this year. Both pilot-plant and industrial-size batch tests already have been completed successfully at Dijon.

The adhesives customer-support laboratory was relocated from Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, to Dijon in 2001. As of March 1 of this year, on-site warehousing is provided as well. These changes result in Solutia now having total capability to service customers locally throughout Europe.

For more information, visit www.solutia.com.