Covestro starts up new elastomers plant in Shanghai

Shanghai, China – German materials manufacturer Covestro AG has started production at a new polyurethane elastomers production plant at its integrated site in Shanghai.

The company broke ground on the ‘double-digit million euro’ facility in the summer last year, as part of a series of investments in its elastomers raw materials business, including in Thailand and Spain.

The plant will help Covestro meet “ever rising demand” for polyurethanes in the Asia-Pacific region, said the Leverkusen-based company 8 Aug.

The polyurethane elastomers systems produced in the site can be used for a range of end products, including offshore windpower, where the protection of subsea cables is a core application area.

The material is also used in the manufacturing process of photovoltaic panels or in screening medias in the mining industry.

According to Covestro, the systems are designed in close collaboration with customers to withstand “the harshest of conditions”, providing “excellent wear, tear and abrasion resistance.”

"We provide materials that help to facilitate a more climate-neutral and circular world,” said Sucheta Govil, chief commercial officer.

The products to be manufactured in Shanghai, she went on to say, will help customers meet the increasing demand for renewable energy solutions.

"In doing so, we are supporting the growth of an industry that is vital for preserving our climate,” Govil added.

According to Dr. Thomas Braig, head of elastomers unit, Covestro expects the elastomers market to grow above China’s gross domestic product.

“We want to enable our customers to capture it [elastomers market]… with this investment in our new plant in Shanghai," he added.