PPG has announced that it is raising prices by up to six percent for sodium silicate and all precipitated silica grades globally.

The increase will take effect Jan. 1, 2018, or as contracts allow, and applies to all end-use segments.

PPG says that this price increase partially offsets rising raw material costs and operating costs and is necessary to support continued investment in silica production and research and development.

“Unfortunately, our costs can no longer be offset solely by ongoing productivity improvements and cost-saving initiatives,” said Bill Fish, PPG Commercial Director, Silica Products.

“The silica segments are forecasted to have healthy growth for the foreseeable future. This price increase enables us to further invest in our operations to meet increasing customer demand while continuing to be an industry leader in silica product innovation.”

PPG says that account representatives will communicate price increase details to customers.

PPG pioneered synthetic precipitated silica products, becoming one of the first manufacturers to bring them to the marketplace in the 1930s.

Today, PPG’s silica products group is recognized as a global technology leader of precipitated silica products used as reinforcing fillers in tire, industrial, footwear and silicone rubber applications; microporous fillers in battery-separator applications; flatting and thickening agents in coatings, adhesives and sealants; and anti-caking, free-flow and carrier agents in food, feed and industrial applications.

As part of PPG’s specialty coatings and materials business, the silica products group serves customers through a global network of manufacturing, research and technical-support facilities.