(Plastics Today) -- Executives at the world's leading supplier of polystyrene said they are keen to support their Asian business, already strong, with new compounding capacity, most likely in China. Without revealing specifics, Styron president and CEO Chris Pappas also said he is actively eyeing potential acquisitions in the region.
The Styron executives spoke during the Chinaplas trade show, held May 17-20 in Guangzhou. Styron was acquired last year by Bain Capital from Dow Chemical; its plastics portfolio includes polystyrene (PS) - both general purpose and high impact (HIPS), plus expandable PS, copolymers ABS and SAN, and compounds based on polycarbonate (PC), PS and polypropylene (this last only for the automotive industry). It produces styrene-based plastics (PS, EPS, ABS and SAN) at two manufacturing facilities in China and one each in the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. It has a PC plant in Germany, and compounding sites in Taiwan and The Netherlands.