DIC Corporation (Tokyo / Japan; www.dic-global.com) is investing EUR 2.7m in a new PPS Technical Centre that will be located at Karlstein / Germany, on the premises of its Sun Chemical Eurolab subsidiary. The hub is expected to commence analysis operations in September, although the official opening is only expected to take place in November this year. DIC said the centre will reinforce its ability to address “the expanding and diverse technical requirements of its European customers.”

The market for polyphenylene sulphide is growing by 6-7% annually, and could reach up to 174,000 t/y by late 2016 (see also Plasteurope.com of 21.04.2015). The heat-, chemical- and water-resistant high-performance plastic is mostly used in automotive, E&E and household appliances. To meet rising global demand, DIC has announced a number of measures, including expanding PPS capacity at its plant in Kashima / Japan, as well as building a new facility in China (see Plasteurope.com of 17.07.2014).

DIC first entered the European PPS market in 2003 and has since steadily raised its profile in the region, including by purchasing Solvay’s (Brussels / Belgium; www.solvay.com) “Primef” PPS compounded product line – see Plasteurope.com of 14.10.2011. In 2013, the group also began commercial production at its plant in Austria (see Plasteurope.com of 25.03.2013). In building the technical centre in Europe, the company will soon have a global supply and technical services network spanning Japan, Malaysia, China and Europe.