Mitsui Chemicals to double capacity for polyurethane dispersions

Tokyo - Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. is ‘nearly doubling’ production capacity for polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) at its manufacturing plant in Shimizu, Japan, to meet rising demand.

The project will see the group expanding capacity for Takelac-branded PUD, in response to increasing demand for sustainability-driven mono-material food packaging.

Construction work is set to start in February 2024, with completion scheduled for April 2025 and tentative production for June 2025, Mitsui Chemicals announced 9 Aug.

PUDs are water-based resins that, according to Mitsui Chemicals, offer “excellent heat resistance, high-temperature gas barrier performance and fastness to rubbing.”

The product is used extensively in the paint and coating materials, adhesives, binders, resin modifiers, sizing agent and textile processing sectors.

Mitsui Chemicals noted a growth in demand for the PUDs in response to the global sustainability drive – especially in Europe.

The material can be used as barrier coating for use in recyclable mono-material food packaging.

“And with demand for mono-material packaging expected to continue rising”, Mitsui Chemicals said, the group is “looking to respond by proactively bolstering its supply network”.