Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC; Tokyo; www.m-chemical.co.jp) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary PT. MC PET Film Indonesia (MFI) will build a new facility to increase its polyester film production capacity. MFI will invest about $130 million dollars in the new facility, which is slated for completion at the end of 2021.
In the polyester film market, MCC anticipates continued growth in the optical application for displays, conventionally its main application. In addition, demand for polyester films, particularly those for processes to manufacture electronic components, is showing remarkable growth. Factors behind this favorable market include expanding use of electronic components in the automotive industry, and increasing production of electronic components such as multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) spurred by the growing number of 5G compatible base stations and ongoing upgrades in telecommunications equipment. Under these circumstances, MFI has worked to meet rising market demand by enhancing the efficiency of its current plant and other measures, but in consideration of projected demand growth, it decided to build a new facility that will increase its production capacity to scale of 25,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr).
MCC has manufactured polyester films for optical, industrial, and packaging applications at five production facilities in Japan, China, Indonesia, the U.S., and Germany. Demand for industry-use polyester films is currently on the rise, especially in Europe, and the company is planning to increase its production capacity. In other regions, it will also take a proactive approach in the business development, as a leading polyester film company, by increasing its production capacity to meet the needs one by one application.