Kuraray to hike ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer capacity in Europe

Japanese chemical company Kuraray Co Ltd plans to increase ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) production capacity of EVAL Europe NV, a wholly owned Kuraray subsidiary located in Antwerp, Belgium, from 24,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) to 35,000 tpa. The company will invest Yen 8 billion (about $ 67.48 million) for the expansion project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
 
Ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer resin, marketed by Kuraray under the EVAL brand name, boasts superior gas barrier properties. Due to this feature, EVOH demand is steadily expanding, particularly for food packaging applications that offer better food preservation and for automotive plastic fuel tanks that effectively prevent hydrocarbon emissions. Besides, EVAL applications have expanded to include stain proof wallpaper, under-floor heating and vacuum insulation panels for refrigerators.
 
Previously, the increase in EVAL demand has been centered primarily in industrialised nations, such as Japan and the US as well as those in Europe. However, demand is now rising in emerging nations too. To secure a stable supply structure, Kuraray Group, which has two more EVAL facilities at Texas (USA) and Okayama (Japan), has decided to boost its EVAL production capacity at Antwerp. On completion of this expansion, Kuraray’s global EVAL production capacity will increase from 81,000 tpa to 92,000 tpa.