Knoxville Biz Ticker: DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products Co. opened a new warehouse and distribution center Monday at its factory in Loudon, according to a news release.

The company announced in March it would increase production of 1,3-propanediol, a liquid organic compound used in many coatings, adhesives, and composites. It’s a key ingredient in the DuPont Sonora brand used in clothing and carpet; it’s also used in Zemea, an ingredient in drugs and cleaning products, and Susterra, an industrial chemical.

The plant’s current capacity is 135 million pounds of 1,3-propanediol per year. That’s expected to expand by 35 million pounds by mid-2019, and the added warehouse space will support that growth, the news release said.

“Investing in the warehouse and distribution center enables our company to move forward with the industry and allows us to ensure our customers have access to high-quality products in a timely fashion,” company president Todd Sutton said in the announcement. “We received no special incentives on these expansions, but we have worked closely with the state and local economic development agencies in the past. Their support in helping our Loudon operation remain cost competitive on a global scale has been extremely important.”

Production at the Loudon plant started in 2006. As of March, it employed 70 people directly, and expected to hire five more by mid-2019, Sutton said then. He expected 120 contractors to work there at any given time during the year of upcoming construction.