In DuPont Aramids unit sale, 975 jobs in Chesterfield shift employers

Delaware-based Fortune 500 specialty chemical company DuPont has completed the divestiture of its Aramids business, a designer and producer of synthetic fibers including Kevlar and Nomex, to Georgia-based manufacturer Arclin for about $1.8 billion, Arclin announced Wednesday.

The sale will affect DuPont’s Spruance facility in Chesterfield County, which is billed as the largest DuPont manufacturing facility in the world. Previously, the plant made Kevlar, a material used in body armor, Nomex, a material used in automatic hoses, and Tyvek, a material made from high-density spunbound polyethylene fibers that’s used for applications including protective apparel, according to the DuPont website.

Now, Arclin employees will manufacture Kevlar and Nomex at the facility.

The Spruance plant had more than 2,000 employees, according to a source familiar with the transaction. Arclin, which manufactures polymer technologies, engineered products and specialized materials, now employs about 975 of those workers at the Chesterfield site.

DuPont continues to employ about 550 employees there to manufacture Tyvek, a material made from high-density spunbound polyethylene fibers that’s used for applications including protective apparel, and Tychem, used in protective clothing for industrial workers. Other employees at the site work for contractors or tenants such as Celanese, a Texas-based chemical manufacturer.

A spokesperson for Arclin Thursday reported that the company “will take ownership of several Aramids manufacturing sites.” These include the site at Spruance as well as sites in Louisiana, North Carolina, Ireland and Spain.

Built in 1929 to manufacture rayon, the Spruance facility sits along the James River. The Greater Richmond Partnership lists the plant as one of the largest employers in Chesterfield County.

In an email, Garrett Hart, director of Chesterfield Economic Development, wrote that the economic development authority has worked with both DuPont and Arclin since the acquisition was first proposed last summer. Hart said that although the ownership of the business unit has changed, the plant’s operations will not.

“The demand for the products produced at this facility continues to grow and cannot be easily moved or duplicated anywhere else in the world,” Hart wrote. “So as we see it, the logos on the building and uniforms may change but the operations staff at the facility will continue to grow and continue to produce some of the finest and unique products in the world.”

In an Aug. 29, 2025, news release, DuPont announced the proposed deal and said the Aramids business had about 1,900 employees and five manufacturing sites. DuPont also reported that the Aramids business generated net sales of $1.3 billion in 2024.

With the sale, DuPont receives pretax cash proceeds of approximately $1.2 billion, a note receivable of $300 million and a noncontrolling common equity interest in Arclin, expected to represent an approximately 16% stake valued at $325 million, the company said in a news release Wednesday.

“We’re excited to join the Arclin family and continue advancing the renowned performance that customers have relied on from Kevlar and Nomex for decades,” Matt Reinhardt, business unit president for Aramids, said in a statement. “Our team’s deep expertise in aramid fiber technology, combined with Arclin’s commitment to investing in innovation and growth, positions us to better serve our customers and accelerate the development of next-generation protective solutions across industries.”

Previously, Reinhardt served as vice president and general manager of Aramids for DuPont Spruance, according to his LinkedIn profile.

David Ledesma, previously the plant manager of the Spruance facility from 2021 to February 2026, is now listed as global director of operational excellence for DuPont and based in Delaware, according to his LinkedIn profile.

A portfolio company of New York-based private equity firm TJC, Arclin now has a portfolio that spans aerospace, electrical infrastructure, electric vehicles and personal protection and defense.

“Kevlar and Nomex are the gold standard in their respective industries, and we are very excited to incorporate the Aramids platform into Arclin’s broader material science portfolio,” Arclin President Mark Glaspey said in a statement. “This acquisition strategically strengthens Arclin’s operational and geographic footprint.”

In November 2025, DuPont completed the separation of its electronics business into an independent public company, Qnity Electronics.

According to Hart, a $75 million expansion of the Kevlar manufacturing plant at the Spruance facility first announced in 2020 is “for all purposes completed.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from an Arclin spokesperson.