The Lubrizol Corp. (Wickliffe, Ohio; www.lubrizol.com) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil its new compounding line in Songjiang, China. The new line is part of Lubrizol’s strategic global capacity expansion program, supporting the company’s Engineered Polymers business and well-known product lines including Estane thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and others.
Lubrizol’s expansion efforts are a direct result of the company estimating demand for specialty elastomers and compounds to grow at double-digit rates. The new compounding line adds capability to produce customized, functional TPU and elastomer compounds, with sufficient capacity to enable near term growth. In support of regional business growth, the new reactive extrusion lines are expected to increase TPU production capacity in Songjiang by nearly 40%.
Lubrizol was the first foreign company to invest in local TPU production in China. The 2018 expansion marks the fourth major expansion in Songjiang since the plant first began producing TPU in the early 2000s. The Songjiang site has operated for more than three years without a recordable incident and with excellent reliability.
Ms. Jane Cai, regional business director, Lubrizol Engineered Polymers, states, “Through our fast product development, expanded manufacturing capabilities and local partnerships, Lubrizol is well positioned to tailor products to the specific needs of our customers’ end use applications and processes. Recent new product launches, including the Estane SKN range for consumer electronics and Estane TRX provide unique performance properties. Now we can give our customers even greater design flexibility to help drive their product differentiation.”
Lubrizol is adding capacity to its global TPU manufacturing footprint in every major region of the world, and adding compounding capabilities. Multiple staged investments and expansions are underway at Lubrizol’s facilities in Oevel, Belgium; Montmelo, Spain, and Avon Lake, Ohio. Further investment is planned in Asia in 2019.