Mitsui Chemicals : Kumho Mitsui Chemicals to Increase MDI Production Capacity
April 20, 2021
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2021.04.21
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) today announced plans to bolster the methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) production capacity of affiliate Kumho Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (Seoul, South Korea; CEO: Chan Koo Park).
Start of construction in April 2021
End of construction in September 2023
Start of operations in January 2024
MDI is a key raw material for polyurethane, a signature material used in numerous fields such as auto parts, seating for cars and furniture, insulation foam for homes and fridges, elastic fibers, various adhesives. Demand for MDI is projected to grow at an annual rate of 6 percent going forward on account of policy measures around the globe to improve residential insulation as a means of global warming suppression, as well as due to the heightened demand accompanying economic growth.
Kumho Mitsui Chemicals manufactures and sells high-performance monomeric MDI used for making elastic fibers and synthetic leather, as well as commodity polymeric MDI used for making insulation materials. The upcoming capacity increase is intended to accommodate an expanded growth in demand for high-performance MDI - employed primarily in electric vehicles for the purposes of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) mitigation, as well as the growing demand for insulation materials.
In addition to expanding its production facilities, Kumho Mitsui Chemicals will install recycling facilities that can reuse the by-products created during the manufacturing process as raw materials. This will improve self-sufficiency for raw materials, and reduce wastewater emissions from the plant and greenhouse gas emissions from the overall supply chain.
Kumho Mitsui Chemicals is aiming to become a global leader for MDI. Mitsui Chemicals will pursue expansion of the MDI business, which is projected for continued growth moving forward, and improving the performance of MDI products.
Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea
Plant: Yeosu, Jeonnam, South Korea
Business
Production and sale of MDI
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Mitsui Chemicals Inc. published this content on 21 April 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 26 April 2021 07:51:01 UTC.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. specializes in the manufacture and marketing of chemicals products. Net sales break down by product family as follows:
- basic chemicals and fine chemicals products (48.8%): polypropylene, polyethylene, phenols, polyolefins, polyurethane, etc.;
- performance chemicals products (25.5%): elastomers, urethane, polymers, etc. intended in particular for the automotive industry;
- coating materials, films and agrochemicals (14.6%): resins, adhesives, polypropylene films, polyethylene films, industrial films, agrochemicals (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.) for the food and packaging sectors;
- specialty materials (10.2%): ophthalmic lens materials, photochromic materials, non-woven fibers, dental products, etc. dedicated to the medical and healthcare industry;
- other (0.9%).
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Japan (52.2%), China (14.5%), Asia (13.6%), America (11.8%), Europe (7.3%) and other (0.6%).