Bayer expands production for coating raw materials in China

Bayer MaterialScience has announced it is increasing its production capacities in the Asia Pacific region to meet the continued growth in demand there for raw materials for coatings and adhesives.
Ground was broken at the site in Shanghai, China, on March 24 for a plant for the production of the precursor hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). With a capacity of 50,000t/yr, it will be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world and production there will be efficient and ecological with a focus on safety. Completion is scheduled for 2016.
Bayer already has one HDI plant in Shanghai, which was expanded in 2013 from its original capacity of 30,000t/yr.
There is considerable demand in the region and China, in particular, for coatings and adhesives and this growth is being driven, to a large extent, by the growing middle class, which has an increasing appetite for high-quality end products.
"The construction of our new HDI plant documents our confidence in the Asia Pacific market and China in particular,” said Daniel Meyer, who heads the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialities (CAS) Business Unit at Bayer MaterialScience. "We are determined to continue to grow here in harmony with the rising demand in the region for innovative solutions for polyurethane-based coatings and adhesives.”
Thanks to raw materials such as HDI, many everyday products last longer, have better properties and a more attractive appearance.