Asahi Kasei Corp. held an opening ceremony on April 26, 2016, for a plant for plastic compounds¹ in Athens, Alabama, as the second plant of its US subsidiary Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. (APNA). The ceremony was attended by Mr. Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce and Mr. William R. Marks, Mayor of the City of Athens, Alabama, as well as key personnel of APNA and Asahi Kasei Corp.

Having identified a global expansion of compounding operations as a critical element in the strategic growth of its engineering plastics business, Asahi Kasei has expanded its compounding facilities in Asia as well as in Michigan, where APNA is based. The second North American plant for compounds in Alabama will enable increased supply to meet customer needs in the Southern US, where demand growth is most notable.

Outside North America, Asahi Kasei has operating bases for plastic compounds in Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, and Germany. The company will continue to develop high-quality and high-performance products in accordance with market needs, while studying ways to further expand its supply infrastructure.

1. ¹ Synthetic resin containing glass fiber, flame retardants, and other additives to provide additional performance characteristics.

Comment from Asahi Kasei Vice President Yuji Kobayashi
“I deeply appreciate the warm support we have received from the State of Alabama and the Limestone Economic Development Association. We are very happy to have built this compounding facility in Athens. We have found Asahi Kasei’s core values as a company to be in line with the city of Athens: forward thinking, open mindedness, and willingness to embrace diversity. This new plant will not only supply products that provide value for the automotive industry, but also contribute to the development of the city of Athens.”

Outline of the second compounding plant

Corporate profile of Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc.

1. ² Wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Corp.