March 26, 2002
Asahi Kasei Corporation
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DuPont and Asahi Kasei sign final agreement
to build new POM plant in China |
DuPont China Holding Co. Ltd. and Asahi Kasei Corporation today signed a final agreement to establish a joint venture for the production and marketing of acetal (also known as POM) copolymer resins in China. The joint venture will have an initial production capacity of 20,000 tons per year, and successive increases up to 60,000 tons per year are planned. The facility will be located in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province in China with start-up scheduled for spring 2004.
The new facility will help meet the growing demand for POM in China. The current market is estimated at over 100,000 tons per year and it is anticipated that rapid market growth will continue. As China remains the world’s fastest-growing POM market, this capacity is critical for the continued success of both DuPont Engineering Polymers and Asahi Kasei performance plastics. The agreement concluded today underscores the confidence DuPont and Asahi Kasei have in the Chinese market for POM and is a measure of both partners’ commitment to continue as major players in this market.
This 50:50 partnership between DuPont and Asahi Kasei combines the technological and marketing expertise of the two partners. The cooperation will not only bring competitive supply of products which meet the needs of the growing market, but also enable timely and efficient response to rapidly changing and emerging customer needs. The joint venture will handle product marketing and distribution within China. However, the two partners will continue to use their own established networks to market products from this joint venture outside China.
DuPont, as a major global supplier of Delrin® POM homopolymer resins that have superior physical properties and high “value in use” in many applications, will continue to put key focus on its POM homopolymer resins. The addition of POM copolymer resins from this joint venture will complement DuPont POM homopolymer resins offering. This new resin comes in addition to other DuPont Engineering Polymers (Zytel® nylon resins, Rynite® PET, Crastin® PBT, Hytrel® TPE, Zenite® LCP, Vespel® parts etc) and will strengthen DuPont’s market position as a preferred performance materials solution provider all over the world.
The new plant will serve to enhance Asahi Kasei’s ability to supply POM to its customers in Asia and throughout the world. This new POM capacity will follow the new Xyron® modified-PPE plant now under construction in Singapore, as Asahi Kasei expands its performance plastics operations as a strategic field of competitive growth. Asahi Kasei will continue to strengthen its coordinated global supply network for performance plastics and compounds, including POM homopolymer (Tenac®) and copolymer (Tenac® C), modified-PPE, and nylon 66 (Leona®). Earlier this year the supply network was augmented with compounding facilities in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, and a company for marketing and sales in Shanghai, complementing facilities in Japan, Thailand, Europe, and North America.
During 2002, DuPont is celebrating its 200th year of scientific achievement and innovation – providing products and services that improve the lives of people everywhere. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, DuPont delivers science-based solutions for markets that make a difference in people’s lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation.
The Asahi Kasei Corporation, formerly Asahi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., is one of Japan’s leading chemical companies, with sales of US$10 billion in operations ranging from chemicals and fibers to LSIs, housing, and pharmaceuticals. Its petrochemical products include a comprehensive range of polyethylene, engineering plastics, and other resins, as well as acrylonitrile, styrene, and other essential monomers.
Zytel®, Delrin®, Rynite®, Crastin®, Hytrel®, Zenite® & Vespel® are registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.
Tenac®, Leona®, Xyron® are registered trademarks of Asahi Kasei.
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