Germany’s BMS builds its first PC solid-sheet plant in China

20 October 2011 11:29  [Source: ICIS news]

GUANGZHOU (ICIS)--Germany’s Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) on 20 October broke ground on a polycarbonate (PC) solid-sheet facility at Guangzhou Yonghe Economic and Technologic Development District in Guangdong province, the company said on Thursday.

The plant will have a capacity of 12,000 tonnes/year, split equally between optical panels and solid sheets, and production is expected to start by the end of 2012, BMS said in a news release.

The total capacity of the facility will be doubled to reach 24,000 tonnes/year in 2015, it said.

This is part of BMS’ plan to invest €110m ($151) by 2012 in five downstream facilities in China to meet increasing demand in the country, it added.

In 2011, the market demand for PC sheets is estimated to be around 110,000 tonnes, split equally between multiwall sheets and solid sheets, BMS said.

“We forecast that by 2015, the annual growth rate for the market of polycarbonate sheets in China [will be] around 10%,” said Michael Schmidt, head of Global Technology & Production for BMS PCS semi-finished products.

“Therefore, our prediction is that, in 2015, China will need 155,000 tonnes of polycarbonate sheets: 65,000 tonnes for multiwall sheets and 90,000 tonnes for solid sheets,” he added.

BMS has a multiwall-sheet unit at Beijing and a solid-sheet unit at Gimhae in South Korea. The facilities serve markets in China, South Korea, Japan and southeast Asian countries, it said.

PC solid sheets are used primarily in the production of optical application plates, machine covers, protection gear, architecture glazing and other diffusion lighting applications. Multiwall sheets are used for roofing and facades.

($1= €0.73)

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By: Fanny Zhang
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