Kemira opens functional chemicals plant in China

Finnish firm Kemira has inaugurated a functional and process chemicals plant at Nanjing Chemical Park, Jiangsu Province, China. The plant, built with an estimated investment of $100 million, will provide a wide range of specialty chemicals for water-intensive industries such as paper.
 
Kemira’s new plant, with estimated annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes, will focus on the Asian market, China in particular. Production will be mainly serving the paper industry, while at the same time providing products and services to the oil & mining industry and municipal water treatment. Currently there are five production lines serving across an array of chemical products for pulp and paper manufacturing. The production capacity for sizing agent (ASA), which mainly used for improving water-resistance in middle to high end paper, will be the largest in Asia.
 
Besides ASA products, the new plant also produces polyacrylic ester, polyacrylamide emulsion, defoamers, and deinking agents, all of which are widely applied in key paper manufacturing processes.
 
“This investment is an important move for Kemira to strengthen its position in China and promote sustainable development in the paper industry. As a global chemicals company focused on serving the water intensive industries, Kemira has consistently helped clients to create more value by providing expertise, application know-how and tailored chemicals for improving our customers’ water, energy and raw material efficiency. Here in China and Asia-Pacific, we see huge business potential for us especially in serving the paper industry,” said Jari Rosendal, President and CEO of Kemira.
 
Joe Chan, President of Asia-Pacific Region at Kemira, commented, “The completion of our new plant in Nanjing will undoubtedly raise the quality standards of our local products and service. We also hope it would develop into a leading benchmarking enterprise in China’s chemical industry, contributing to the production and operating standards in the industry.”