Wacker’s Ulsan plant already manufactures VAE dispersions as binders for sectors such as construction, coatings and adhesives.
MUNICH, GERMANY: Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its existing production plants for polymer binders in South Korea. The company plans to build a new spray dryer for dispersible polymer powders at its Ulsan site.
The dryer will have a total capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes per year. Wacker also plans to build a further reactor for dispersions based on vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE). Its dispersions will be used in the spray dryer for the production of dispersible polymer powders.
With the new reactor, Ulsan’s VAE dispersion capacity will more than double. Ulsan’s plant complex, which covers the entire product chain from VAE dispersions to dispersible polymer powders, will be one of the largest of its kind worldwide. Capital expenditures of around €60 million are budgeted for the capacity increase and for expanding local infrastructure. Scheduled to start before the end of the year, construction work is expected to be finished by Q1 2019.
“Our investment in expanding our polymer-binder production facilities in Ulsan is a key step in our global growth strategy. The additional capacity will strengthen our market position the world’s leading manufacturer of dispersions and dispersible polymer powders, and will help us meet our Asian customers’ continuously rising demand over the long term,” said Rudolf Staudigl, CEO of Wacker Chemie AG.
“The new facilities will not only secure Wacker’s supply chain in South Korea in the years ahead but will also enable us to supply first-class, locally manufactured products and solutions to our regional customers to meet their specific needs.” Utilizing the Ulsan site’s existing infrastructure, he added, would produce synergy effects in transportation and logistics,” added Dal-ho Cho, in charge of the Korean subsidiary Wacker Chemicals Korea.
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