The move is part of the polymer provider’s aim to strengthen business in the Asia Pacific region.
The first products to roll off the production line will be waterborne styrene-acrylic dispersions, acrylic solutions and wax dispersions.
Polymers for personal care
When fully operational the site will be producing 40,000 metric tons annually of polymers and additives for the personal care, detergent, and ink and coatings markets.
In addition to the manufacturing site, the company has a sales office in Shanghai which will benefit from the new facility.
“Our customers serviced by the sales office and polymer research centre in Shanghai will benefit from the new production site, since we can repond to customer needs much faster and at lower total costs,” said Siegfried J Gillich, general manager for the Europe/Asia Pacific regions.
Interploymer’s president Norwin W. Wolff stated that unique orders for tailor-made solutions were an important part of the business in the region.
“We still have significant demand for tailor-made polymers by individual customers, but we must be close to their regional plants to be successful,” he said.
The company is the latest in a long line of personal care chemicals suppliers to expand their footprint in the region.
Earlier this month Swtizerland-based chemicals supplier opened a surfactant production facility in Eastern China with the aim of serving not only the personal care market but also coatings, paints, homecare and textile industries.
In November last year Rhodia opened an R&D centre in Shanghai and in the same month Dow Corning and Wacker joined forces to open silicone manufacturing facilities in Zhangjiagang city.