Japanese plastic resins and films producer Teijin (Tokyo; www.teijin.com) is building a combined compounding and R&D complex in Thailand. The JPY 1.5 bn (USD 13m) facility with a capacity to compound 10,000 t/y of polycarbonate (PC), and in future also PPS, will be operated by the company’s local subsidiary, Teijin Corporation (Thailand) at Ayutthaya. It is due to start up in 2019.

Teijin said the investment is its third resin-related R&D hub in Asia, following the "Plastics Technical Center" at Chiba / Japan and a base at affiliate Teijin Chemicals Plastic Compounds Shanghai in China. Cooperation among the three Asian hubs will accelerate the development of high performance compounds, the company said, adding that the Thai facility can be expanded if demand warrants.

To meet global demand for compounded PPS resin, Teijin said it will leverage the proprietary technology of Initz (www.initzpps.com), its 34:66 joint venture in South Korea with SK Chemicals (Seoul; www.skchemicals.com). Having captive capacity will improve its response to demand from customers in the automotive and E&E industries, it said. The company also plans to continue growing its compounding business in China as well as in the ASEAN member countries, where it currently operates through sub-contractors.