The Lubrizol Corp. (Cleveland, Ohio; www.lubrizol.com) announced that another new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) production line in its Songjiang (Shanghai) China plant is going into production this month, the second expansion in a year aimed at continuous growth in Asia. This considerable expansion of the Songjiang plant follows the launch last year of a new compounding line. Both expansions are aimed at supporting the company’s Engineered Polymers business.
Lubrizol has been adding capacity to its global TPU manufacturing footprint in every major region of the world to support the fast-growing demand for specialty elastomers. The new line in China will increase capacity for specialty applications by nearly a third.
“We value the Asian market as a critical region where we can drive future success for Lubrizol,” states Ms. Jane Cai, regional business director, Lubrizol Engineered Polymers. She continues, “We have seen strong opportunities and broad growth in Asia and Greater China in recent years, and our continued investment will enable further customization of materials to the specific needs of customers and markets. At Lubrizol, we are focused on improving lives – from consumer lifestyles to the service life of industrial applications. Our strategy and commitment are to collaborate closely with our customers to understand their needs and work quickly to bring innovative solutions that help them differentiate their products in the marketplace.”
Multiple staged investments and expansions are underway at Lubrizol’s facilities around the world, in alignment with Lubrizol’s ambitious growth strategy. Commenting on this, Gabe Rhoads, general manager for Lubrizol Engineered Polymers states, “We see a very bright outlook for growth, not just in Asia, but globally. Market trends are well aligned with our innovation and material replacement strategies and we see growing demand for high performance, customized materials and more sustainable solutions. We continue to invest in capabilities and capacity to support our customers and markets, maintaining our position as a reliable, high quality solutions provider.”