Styron, the global materials company and manufacturer of plastics, latex and rubber, announced plans to expand its latex capacity with a new reactor at its Zhangjiagang, China, production facility. This expansion will mainly support the demand for latex in China’s paper and paperboard industry, forecast to grow in the next five years.

"The paper and paperboard industries have been using Styron’s latex chemistries for innovative binder coatings for more than 60 years,” said James Mingyu Ni, Styron Latex business director for Asia Pacific. “This investment at Zhangjiagang will allow us to expand our reach in the Chinese marketplace where we have built a reputation for outstanding technical service and product quality. In the past five years, Styron has been involved in the startup of 80 percent of the new coated paper and board mills in China, helping our customers determine optimal product formulations for their paper coating challenges. We look forward to continuing to provide this support to the growing market.”

The new reactor, expected to commence production in the second quarter of 2015, will be Styron’s fourth unit of its kind at Zhangjiagang. It will serve mainly the paper and paperboard and also carpet industries, and complement Styron’s other latex production facilities in the Asia Pacific region in Korea and Indonesia. “As a world leader in latex technologies, Styron offers a wide range of custom-engineered solutions that improve end-use properties of paper and paperboard, carpet, building and construction materials, and a variety of other products,” said Marco Levi, senior vice president and business president, Emulsion Polymers. “Our goal has always been to help manufacturers compete in the global marketplace through new technologies, by working intimately and confidentially with our customers. The expansion at Zhangjiagang supports Styron’s commitment to the latex business and in particular the Asia Pacific region, which is an important growth region for the company.”

Zhangjiagang is the ideal location for Styron to expand its latex production and offerings in the Asia Pacific region. The company has been operating latex plants on this site for many years, and will continue to benefit from its strategic location, local resources, employees and community support.

Source: rubberworld.com