Jul 28 2009
In order to sustain the growth of the specialty acrylic polymer market in Asia, Arkema announces the construction of a production plant at its Changshu site (China).
" This investment of some €15M will provide Coatex, which already has an industrial presence in the United States and in Europe, with an acrylic polymer production capacity in Asia from mid-2011 targeting growing markets in paints (coatings), mineral processing, construction and paper » Alain Mari, President of Arkema's subsidiary Coatex, is pleased to announce.
This project represents a further step in Arkema's transformation and development drive in particular in Asia, and is fully in line with the Group's strategy to consolidate its acrylics and downstream acrylics activities.
This new plant will boost the Changshu industrial platform which already houses fluorochemicals, polyamides, organic peroxides and slush-molding activities. Arkema recently confirmed two major investments for this very platform, one in new-generation refrigerant fluids (HFC 125) and the other in Kynar fluorinated polymers, which will eventually make Changshu Arkema's third largest industrial facility in the world.
Coatex manufactures mostly acrylic-based polymers used as dispersants and thickeners. The main outlets for these high-growth specialty chemicals activities are paper and paint manufacture, mineral processing, construction, cosmetics and textile.