December 11, 2002
Asahi Kasei Plastics Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Polyxylenol Singapore Pte. Ltd.

The modified polyphenylene ether (mPPE) plant of Asahi Kasei Plastics Singapore Pte. Ltd. (APS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Corporation, and the PPE powder plant of Polyxylenol Singapore Pte. Ltd. (PXS), a joint venture between APS and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Inc. (MGC), entered commercial operation on December 6, 2002.

Commercial context — related operations of the parent companies

Asahi Kasei is the world’s second-largest mPPE maker, with a 35,000 ton/year plant in Sodegaura, Chiba, Japan. Demand for mPPE in electrical, electronic, and automotive applications is growing steadily, particularly in Asian markets, and the shift of Japanese manufacturers to production sites in Asia continues apace.

The newly initiated facilities in Singapore form a key element of Asahi Kasei’s global performance plastics and compounds operations, including compounding facilities and sales networks in Europe, North America, Thailand, China, and Japan – enabling Asahi Kasei to provide a stable, timely supply of mPPE closely coordinated with the application development needs of users in the region, and serving as a center of supply for base polymer to be compounded at local facilities worldwide.

MGC is the world’s third-largest integrated maker of PPE powder from the monomer, with a plant in Yokkaichi, Japan, of 10,000 tons/year capacity in terms of mPPE. Production and sale of mPPE is performed by its affiliate Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation.

The joint production facility in Singapore is an integral part of MGC’s program of expansion of engineering plastics as a high-priority operating sector, and the commercial start-up announced today will serve to strengthen MGC’s engineering plastics operations in Asia. The new facility compliments overseas production facilities for polycarbonate and polyacetal, both of which are operating at full capacity with construction to expand capacity under way.

Corporate profiles

The parent companies