Trinseo opens pilot TPE facility in Taiwan

Hsinchu, Taiwan – Trinseo has inaugurated a pilot facility in Taiwan that will allow the company to make thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs), thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and bio-plastics for customers in the Asia-Pacific region.

The new facility is built at the company's existing site in Hsinchu, and will bring the materials supplier physically closer to customers in the automotive, consumer electronics, footwear and medical markets, Trinseo said in a 2 Dec statement. 

The Berwyn, Pennsylvania-based supplier said it expected demand for TPU and TPE materials to increase as a result of the growth in "tele-medicine and the convergence of medical and consumer electronics."

“These trends bring a requirement for more user-friendly and sustainable devices with greater use of soft-touch materials and bio-based plastics,” it said.

Trinseo announced the construction of the pilot facility in October last year, stating that it was part of its growth strategy for TPEs globally. The capacity of the plant has not been disclosed.

With the takeover of API in 2017, Trinseo acquired technologies for soft-touch polymers, including TPEs, thermoplastic polyurethanes, EVA-based compounds, and two-component PUs. API's main markets are automotive, footwear, appliances, furniture, sports goods, consumer goods, packaging, construction, and medical.
 
Based in Bassano del Grappa, near Venice, API offers “a complete range of TPU, TPE, PU and the latest biodegradable elastomers” to its clients in various industries.