INVISTA is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the world’s first nylon manufacturing plant started in Seaford in 1939, which was set-up by DuPont, at a time when there were just a few applications for the new fiber.
The Seaford site was built and originally operated by DuPont. Construction of the initial facility began in March 1939, and the facility started operations in December 1939, within just nine months of laying the foundation stone.
DuPont sold the plant in 2004. It had changed the name of this and other portions of its business to INVISTA prior to the sale. For the past decade, INVISTA has been operating the Seaford site.
To mark this milestone anniversary, the State of Delaware Public Archives commissioned a historical marker that was unveiled at the plant site, which is located on approximately 648 acres adjacent to the Nanticoke River.
INVISTA says the fiber now finds numerous applications from fabric for military uniforms and other clothing, to engineered polymers for automotive applications, to fibers in carpet and air bags.
INVISTA’s Seaford site manufactures nylon fiber for uniforms for the US military, flame-resistant clothing for work-wear applications, nylon fiber for press felts used in paper manufacturing, and other industrial end-use products.
In addition, the site also makes nylon fiber for CORDURA® brand fabric outdoor and lifestyle clothing, including CORDURA® Baselayer, Denim and CORDURA® Canvas fabric technologies.
The development of nylon was a breakthrough in synthetically engineered fibers and transformed the textile industry. Consumers embraced nylon’s significant physical properties—including tremendous strength, toughness and high resistance to abrasion.
During World War II, the Seaford site produced nylon for use in military parachutes, tents and mosquito netting.
With leading brands including LYCRA®, COOLMAX®, CORDURA®, STAINMASTER® and ANTRON® and operates in more than 20 countries and has about 10,000 employees. (AR)
