APIC ’07: Taiwan to sell more HDPE in 2007

18 May 2007 15:18  [Source: ICIS news]

TAIPEI (ICIS news)--Taiwan’s high density polyethylene (HDPE) producers are expected to sell more in the local and exports markets this year, in line with higher domestic production, a senior official of Formosa Plastics Corp (FPC) said on Friday.

Local producers are expected to see domestic sales rise by 7.7% to 299,000 tonnes, and exports to increase by 6.7% to 263,000 tonnes, vice president of FPC’s polyolefins division, Tze Fon Chang, said at the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC).

“HDPE production [in Taiwan] can be raised to 90% capacity on average this year if the new cracker runs smoothly after starting up next week," Chang said in Mandarin, referring to its sister company, Formosa Petrochemical Corp’s (FPCC) new No. 3 cracker.

At the higher production rate, total HDPE output would increase to 569,000 tonnes this year, 8% up from last year’s 527,000 tonnes, he said, adding that the average production rates at the local plants were 84% last year and 82% the year before.

Taiwan exports different HDPE grades, including film, injection and pipe, to various markets including China and Turkey.

FPCC’s new cracker at Mailiao, which can produce 1.2m tonnes/year of ethylene, is due to come on stream on 25 May.

FPC, a sister company of FPCC, operates four HDPE lines at Mailiao and Linyuan which have a combined annual capacity of 530,000 tonnes/year, and USI Corp runs the only other 100,000 tonne/year plant.

By: Chow Bee Lin
+65 6780 4359

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