Japan Butyl Co plans to expand the halobutyl rubber production capacity at its plant in Kashima by 10,000 mt/year, or more than 14%, to 80,000 mt/year in 2012, joint venture partner ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha said Monday.
This will be the second expansion for the Kashima plant in five years, after 17,000 mt/year of capacity was added in 2006.
"Demand for halobutyl rubber is expected to grow at about 6% per year, mainly in the Asia Pacific region," said John Lyon, vice president of butyl polymers at ExxonMobil Chemical. "The expansion by our affiliate's joint venture at Kashima will add 10,000 mt/year of capacity in the region.
JBC, a butyl rubber manufacturing company, is a 50:50 joint venture between ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha and JSR.
In October 2010, JBC raised the production capacity of its butyl rubber plant at Kawasaki by 18,000 mt/year to 98,000 mt/year.
