Kuraray to Launch Production at Thai Butadiene Products Plant

Tokyo [Japan]: Kuraray GC Advanced Materials has finished development of a new production facility for butadiene derivatives in Thailand and is all set to commence operations at the site.

Kuraray GC Advanced Materials is a joint venture company that was established in 2018 and owned by Kuraray (53.3%), Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical (33.4%), and Sumitomo Corp. (13.3%). This company specializes in manufacturing and selling butadiene derivatives in Thailand.

A new petrochemical plant is set to be built in Rayong province's Map Ta Phut complex. It will have a capacity of 16 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of TPEs based on hydrogenated stryenic block copolymers and 13 ktpa of polyamide 9T.

Kuraray brands Septon HSBC and Genestar PA9T will be used to market the products, as decided by the Japanese company.

Kuraray has completed the construction of two plants at a cost of 40 billion Yen (over 280 million Euro). The first plant, a joint venture facility with Showa Denko, produces 1-methy-1,5-pentanediol (MPD), while the second plant is dedicated solely to producing MPD and has an annual capacity of 5kt.

Kuraray has embarked on a 'Vision 2026' strategy, which includes taking on projects in Thailand. “Speciality chemical company growing sustainably by incorporating new foundational platforms into its own technologies.”