CHANDLER, Ariz., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Yulex Corporation, a manufacturer of biobased elastomer products derived from guayule, announced today that it has closed on a $15 million private placement, led by Argonaut Private Equity, to expand its natural rubber production capabilities.  Construction has been initiated and increased commercial production of guayule natural rubber and feedstocks for bioenergy is expected to commence by early 2012.

The new production facility is located within the Lone Butte Industrial Park in Chandler, Arizona, and is part of the Gila River Indian Community offering Yulex tax savings and Enterprise Zone Status. The site is five acres with the possibility to expand to 20 acres, and includes two large, clear-span buildings totaling 60,000 square feet for production use and an office building for staff. In addition to building this expansive new facility, the investment will also be used to ramp up Yulex's commercialization infrastructure by recruiting key executives in product development, marketing and engineering to the organization.

"We look forward to completing this significant expansion to our production capability and enabling Yulex to begin meeting the increasing demand for our elastomeric biomaterials," said Jeff Martin, President and CEO of Yulex Corporation. "Our expanded capability allows us to provide renewable high performance materials for a variety of markets including consumer goods such as footwear, action sports gear, clothing, baby products, etc, as well as other industries such as medical devices, adhesives and resins."

John Roberts, the Lone Butte Development Corporation Marketing Coordinator, also expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, "We are very happy to have such a prominent company move in, especially one that makes sustainable products and is so environmentally-friendly."

All Yulex products are derived from a desert plant called guayule (why-you-lee) that is grown in commercial farms throughout southern Arizona. The plant produces natural rubber and resins used in the manufacturing of products for the industrial, commercial and medical industries. The company also produces cellulosic feedstocks, which are combusted to produce bioenergy for regional utilization.

ABOUT YULEX CORPORATION

Yulex Corporation has developed a portfolio of biobased elastomer products derived from the U.S. grown guayule plant.  Our technological innovation is designed to replace traditional tropical or petroleum based rubber for consumer, industrial and medical markets, with the residual agricultural materials utilized as a feedstock for bioenergy.  We collaborate with our customers to develop and market highly differentiated, premium performance products in an ecologically responsible, sustainable manner. For more, visit http://www.yulex.com.  

SOURCE Yulex Corporation