Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo; www.mitsuichem.com) has been working on a one-line production augmentation (5,000 metric tons per year) for the Milastomer product line at its wholly owned domestic subsidiary Sun Alloys Co., in response to an upswing in demand for thermoplastic olefinic elastomers. Operations at the facility commenced on October 1. This will increase the company’s annual domestic production capacity for Milastomer from 20,000 to 25,000 m.t./yr.
Milastomer is a lightweight, 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, weather strips, steering bellows and as air bag covers.
Mitsui Chemicals, as a solution provider, will continue to strengthen its Milastomer business through such efforts as the current planned Sun Alloys production augmentation to expand its business around the world by capturing demand in the growing global market by responding to needs.