Asahi Kasei Expands S-SBR Production to Meet Tyre Demand

Asahi Kasei Chemicals will increase annual production capacity for solution-polymerised styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) by 10,000 tons at the Oita, Japan facility belonging to its subsidiary Japan Elastomer Co., Ltd., with start-up scheduled for April 2008. Following the completion of expansion the plant will have an output of 62,000 tons per year.

Worldwide demand for high performance tyres is expected to remain robust, and with a strong base in S-SBR technology suited for use in these tyres, Asahi Kasei believes it is in a leading position to expand supply to this growing market. The expanded plant capacity at Japan Elastomer will be dedicated to the production of a new line of modified S-SBR, which went on sale in April 2007. Made possible by what Asahi Kasei calls a ‘major advance in polymer modification’, this S-SBR reportedly raises the level of fuel efficiency achievable through the use of high performance tyres. The additional production capacity will ensure stable supply as sales continue to rise sharply.

This most recently announced capacity expansion is the latest step in the Asahi Kasei’s strategic advancement of its synthetic rubber and elastomer operations in growing market segments. The business has been earmarked for expansion through strategic investment in the Asahi Kasei Group’s Growth Action – 2010 medium-term business initiative, with an emphasis placed upon both increasing production capacity and advancing technological development.