Mitsui Chemicals to Establish New Production Facility in North America for Long Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene
Proactive push to expand business in mobility sector
2018.09.18
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: Tsutomu Tannowa) has decided to set up a new production facility for long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (LGFPP) at the Ohio plant of its U.S. subsidiary Advanced Composites, Inc. (President: Keiji Shite).
Overview of the New Production Facility
| 1. Product | Long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (LGFPP) |
|---|---|
| 2. Location | Advanced Composites, Inc., Ohio Plant |
| 3. Capacity | 3,500 tons/year |
| 4. Schedule (tentative) | Completion in September 2019 Operations commerce in October 2019 |
LGFPP is a composite material made by melting and mixing polypropylene (PP) resin with long glass fibers. The lightweight material offers an attractive appearance, with long glass fibers providing a good balance between hardness and impact resistance. The material is already being adopted in areas such as the unpainted insides of rear car doors.
The recent strengthening of environmental regulations and a shift toward electric vehicles have led to increasing needs for automotive lightweighting. As a result, demand is expected to grow for fiber-reinforced resins, which offer the prospect of a 30 percent reduction in weight when used to replace metal (ex. insides of rear car doors). The decision to establish a new LGFPP production facility in the U.S. comes in response to growing demand in North America.
Mitsui Chemicals aims to achieve further business expansion in mobility, a key sector for the company, by continuing to correctly gauge global growth in demand.
Overview of Advanced Composites, Inc.
| 1. Established | June 1986 |
|---|---|
| 2. Capital and Stakes | US$14,100,000 Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc. (wholly owned by Mitsui Chemicals): 59.8% Prime Polymer Co. Ltd.: 3.0% Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (incl. Mitsui Plastics, Inc.): 27.0% Marubeni America Corporation: 10.2% |
| 3. President | Keiji Shite |
| 4. Head Office and Plants | Head Office: Ohio Plants: Ohio, Tennessee |
| 5. Business | Production, sale and research of polypropylene compounds |