Mitsui Chemicals Inc will augment capacity of thermoplastic olefinic elastomer Milastomer by 5,000 tonnes per annum at its wholly-owned domestic subsidiary, Sun Alloys Co Ltd, to respond to upswings in demand for the product. The construction for the plant, to be located at Chiba (Japan), will commence in February 2017, while commercial production is expected to start by October 2017.
Milastomer is a light-weight, soft resin with low density and excellent moldability. Demand has grown significantly for uses in automotive materials, gaskets and civil engineering joint fillers, building materials, and grips, and is expected to continue to expand around the world in line with wider uses in automotive interiors and as weather strips. The planned production facilities augmentation for Milastomer is a proactive response to such demands.
In the Mitsui Chemicals Group’s mid-term business plan, the company has positioned the mobility segment as a targeted business domain to drive growth, in addition to the healthcare and food & packaging domains. The group’s Milastomer business is a core business in the mobility domain and the company, as a solution provider, will continue to strengthen its Milastomer business through expansion to meet the growing demand for the product.