Kuraray set to start operations at Thai isoprene products plant

Tokyo – Kuraray GC Advanced Materials has completed the construction of a new production facility for isoprene derivatives in Thailand and is set to start operations at the site, Kuraray announced 9 Feb.

Established in 2018, Kuraray GC Advanced Materials is a joint venture company owned by Kuraray (53.3%), Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical (33.4%), and Sumitomo Corp. (13.3%) and manufactures and sells C4 derivatives in Thailand.

Located in the Map Ta Phut petrochemical complex in Rayong province, the plant will have the capacity to produce of 16 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of TPEs based on hydrogenated stryenic block copolymers, and 13 ktpa of polyamide 9T.

The products will be marketed under Kuraray brands: Septon HSBC and Genestar PA9T, according to the Japanese company. 

In addition, Kuraray has separately constructed a 5ktpa plant for the production of 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol (MPD) adjacent to the JV plant.

The Japanese group said it’s investment in the two plants amounted to Yen40 billion (around €280 million) overall.

The Thai projects are part of Kuraray's ‘vision 2026’ strategy to be a “speciality chemical company growing sustainably by incorporating new foundational platforms into its own technologies.”