Kuraray and Sumitomo to build engineering and thermoplastics facility in Thailand in JV with PTT Global Chemical

14-Sep-16

Japanese companies Kuraray Co and Sumitomo Corporation have agreed to build a production facility for engineering and thermoplastics in Thailand in a joint venture with PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC), as per bangkokpost.com. The agreement was signed yesterday in Tokyo for front-end engineering and design for the facility to make high-heat resistant polyamide (PA9T) and hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers (HSBC). The project is expected to be located in Rayong's Hemaraj Industrial Estate, which is adjacent to its existing olefin cracker.

Supattanapong Punmeechaow, PTTGC's president and chief executive, said the company did a feasibility study for two years before the three partners reached an agreement. He said the amount of capital expenditure will not be revealed until next year. Commercial operation is due to start at the end of 2020. Production capacity per year of PA9T (high-temperature nylon) is expected to be 13,000 tons while that of HSBC is 16,000 tons. Kuraray plans to conduct a feasibility study on a production facility of MPD (3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol) with output of 5,000 tpa to feed PTTGC's other production facilities.
PA9T has thermal and mechanical properties that are appropriate for high-end engineering of plastics and could replace some metal used in the auto parts industry. HSBC is appropriate for auto parts, building material, medical equipment and consumer products such as swimming equipment and toothbrushes.