The construction of Lanxess A.G.'s new EPDM plant in Changzhou, China is on schedule, the company said.

Lanxess is investing approximately $317 million, which is the largest investment the company has made in China to date. It said about 45 percent of the investment will be spent by 2013.

The plant will have a capacity of 160,000 tons per year and create 200 new jobs. Lanxess said it will be completed at the end of 2014 and begin selling products to customers in 2015.

The plant will be equipped with Lanxess' Keltan ACE technology and will produce 10 premium grades of EPDM tailored to Chinese customer needs.

Torsten Derr, head of the Keltan Elastomers business unit, said the company is very happy with the progress made so far and that the plant clearly underlines Lanxess' commitment to being closer to its customers and supplying them with premium products.

Lanxess operates EPDM production sites in Gelee, Netherlands; Marl, Germany; Orange, Texas; and Triunfo, Brazil.

Source: rubbernews.com