Japan’s Sekisui to boost Thai CPVC compound output

Japanese petrochemical producer Sekisui Chemical plans to expand production capacity of its chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) compound in Thailand, following the launch of its new office in India where demand for CPVC has been growing.

Sekisui Chemical announced on 8 August that it has opened the new Indian office of its Thai subsidiary Sekisui Specialty Chemicals Thailand on 1 June. The company expects demand for its CPVC compounds to increase further as metal pipelines have been replaced with CPVC resin pipelines, while construction demand has been rising along with economic growth in India and the Middle East.

It aims to boost output capacity of its CPVC compounds, which are generated by blending CPVC and additives, at its Thai plant in Rayong. But it did not disclose the planned expansion capacity of CPVC compound, current capacity or detailed timelines. The firm has 60,000 t/yr of CPVC production capacity in Thailand.

Japan's PVC production during January-June was 675,586t, down by 5.2pc from the same period a year earlier, according to its Vinyl Environmental Council. PVC exports totalled 272,012t during the period, down by 4pc.

By Nanami Oki