PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk (CAP; Jakarta, Indonesia; www.chandra-asri.com) and Michelin have completed construction at the new synthetic-rubber manufacturing site owned by the companies’ joint venture (JV) PT Synthetic Rubber Indonesia (SRI). The companies have invested $435 million in SRI, with Michelin holding 55% of shares, and CAP holding the remaining 45%. Located in the Banten province of Indonesia, the SRI plant is the first of its kind in Indonesia to produce feedstock for environmentally friendly tires using Michelin’s proprietary technology.
SRI produces polybutadiene rubber with neodymium catalyst and solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR), both of which are utilized in the production of environmentally friendly tires. SRI’s feedstock is sourced from butadiene produced by CAP’s subsidiary, Petrokimia Butadiene Indonesia, which recently completed a large-scale expansion project.
The new plant’s total production capacity is expected to reach 120,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr). Production will begin at the end of August, with the first batch to be shipped to Michelin for further processing.