Tosoh to increase Nanyo CR plant capacity

20 December 2006 09:02  [Source: ICIS news]

TOKYO (ICIS news)--Tosoh Corp plans to increase chloroprene rubber (CR) capacity at its Nanyo plant in Shunan, Japan, by 4,000 tonnes/year to 34,000 tonnes/year for Yen (Y) 1bn ($8.5m), a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

 

The spokesman said the construction work had already started and that commercial production is scheduled to commence by the end of July 2007.

 

CR is a special synthetic rubber that is resistant to weather, fire and oil, and is used for various purposes including auto parts and adhesive agents, the company said.

 

Tosoh said that the supply-demand balance has become tight in recent years due to the increased demand for auto parts as well as plant shutdowns of other companies overseas.

 

Demand for the latex grade of CR for adhesives was expected to increase due to companies’ efforts to use less solvent for environmental reasons, it added.

 

The company said it was improving the performance of polymer products such as low density polyethylene (LDPE) for applications in IT, vehicles and medical purposes.

 

For high performance polymers, the company plans to develop wider applications or increase capacities of products including chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSM), polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

 

($1 = Y118)

By: Tomomi Yokomura
+65 6780 4359

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