MOSCOW (MRC) -- Asahi Kasei Chemicals hold a groundbreaking ceremony on September 29, 2014, for a plant for plastic compounds in Athens, Alabama, as the second plant of its US subsidiary Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. (APNA), said Plastemart.
The ceremony was attended by Mr. Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce and Mr. Kazuo Sunaga, Consul General of Japan in Atlanta, as well as key personnel of APNA and Asahi Kasei Chemicals.
Background. Having identified an expansion of compounding operations as a critical element in the strategic growth of its engineering plastics business, Asahi Kasei Chemicals has expanded its compounding facilities in Asia as well as in Michigan, where APNA is based. Construction of the second North American plant for compounds in Alabama will enable increased supply to meet customer needs in the Southern US, where demand growth is most notable.
As MRC informed earlier, Asahi Kasei Chemicals has developed AZP as a new optical polymer featuring zero birefringence achieved through novel molecular design. Manufacturing facilities for AZP will be constructed at the company’s Chiba Plant (Sodegaura, Chiba, Japan), with start-up scheduled for early next year. Applications for AZP are anticipated in high-performance displays and various optical components.
Outside North America, Asahi Kasei Chemicals has operating bases for plastic compounds in Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, and Belgium. The company will continue to develop high-quality and high-performance products in accordance with market needs, while studying ways to further expand its supply infrastructure.
MRC