Keyuan Petrochemicals Inc. will increase its capacity of solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber with a new facility capable of making 150,000 tons per year.

The plant will use Keyuan’s proprietary technology to produce the tire raw material. Keyuan is an independent manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals.

The company said it wants to replace imported hexakis (methoxymethy) melamine.

“The increasing market demand in tire and auto parts has resulted in greater requirements for styrene, ABS and SSBR,” the company said in a statement. “Rather than focusing on optimizing the current utilization rates for (our) different facilities, (we) have decided upon expanding capacity through a number of projects, including a new SSBR plant.”

Source: Rubber News