Belgian chemicals group Solvay said Thursday it is investing Eur120 million ($171 million) to construct a specialty polymers plant in China.
The plant will be built at Solvay's Changshu site in Jiangsu province.
It is scheduled to be on stream by early 2014.
"This new production plant will enable Solvay to capture a part of the huge growth potential in this exciting and dynamic region. We'll bring our customers more high value-added polymers which will help them improve their environmental footprint and sustainability profile," said Jacques van Rijckevorsel, Solvay's group general manager for the plastics sector.
The facility will manufacture Solvay's high value added products SOLEF polyvinylidene fluoride, Tecnoflon fluoroelastomers and their essential monomer.
Tecnoflon is used for sealing applications in harsh chemical and thermal environments. It is used mainly by the automotive, aerospace, oil & gas and energy industries.
Demand for Tecnoflon has been driven mainly by China's buoyant automotive market, Solvay said.
SOLEF meanwhile is a polymer that can withstand heat and pressure, aggressive chemicals and mechanical stress. It is widely used in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, membranes for water purification and for oil and gas extraction.
