DL Chemical opens ‘world’s largest’ polyisoprene latex plant in Singapore

Singapore – DL Chemical has completed the construction of a KRW480 billion (€320 million) polyisoprene latex plant in Juron Island, Singapore.

The unit was constructed by DL Chemical subsidiary Cariflex, which was acquired for €475 million from Kraton in 2021 .

Spanning an area of 6.1 hectares, the plant marks Singapore’s first polyisoprene latex facility and is intended to meet global demand for medical and consumer products, particularly surgical gloves.

In an 11 Nov statement, DL Chemical said the investment in the new plant was “a proactive response” to the growing global demand for "high-quality" medical materials.

The company intends to use the facility as a base to grow its medical materials business, with discussions "already underway" to enhance and expand production facilities.

With the commercial operation of the Singapore facility, DL Chemical said it had achieved “global number one” in the medical materials market.

"We will further accelerate the transition to a high-value speciality business structure," it added.

As previously announced by ERJ, the unit is expected to increase Cariflex’s global polyisoprene latex production capacity by over 50%.

Cariflex’s polyisoprene rubber latex is a synthetic, water-based polymer latex, suitable for a wide range of applications, with surgical gloves and condoms representing the key end markets.