Arkema further expands investment in China

Julie Xiaoyu ZHANG, President of Arkema Greater China, said: “The Chinese market is crucial to the Arkema Group. We have continued to invest in China and expand our business footprint. Arkema’s business in China has also maintained steady growth with a good development momentum. Besides, China is promoting high-level opening up to the outside world, creating a market-oriented, law-based, and international first-class business environment for multinational companies like us, which has also greatly boosted Arkema’s confidence in operating in China. Our several recent capital increase plans have fully demonstrated our determination to take root in the Chinese market and implement the localization strategy. We will also further strengthen cooperation with customers to meet the needs of the future development of the Chinese market.”

To promote the development of a circular economy, Arkema increases capital in Zhangjiagang
Arkema (Suzhou) Polyamides Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Arkema Group and its most important downstream plant of high-performance bio-based polymers in Asia. As one of Arkema’s flagship products, the recyclable Advanced Bio-based Circular Materials provided by the Zhangjiagang plant offer a genuinely sustainable solution with excellent performance and longer service life.

The capital increase of 500 million yuan in Zhangjiagang will empower the Zhangjiagang plant to further improve technology and services. By optimizing its modification and technical renovation projects invested in 2021, the plant will support Symphony, Arkema’s major investment project in Singapore, and provide higher-quality solutions for the growing Asian market. The Symphony project is a new plant of Arkema under construction in Singapore dedicated to the production of 11-aminoundecanoic acid and Rilsan® Polyamide 11 Resin, including the establishment of downstream polymer production capacity in China. The project aims to increase the global production capacity of polyamide 11 by 50% to better serve the Asian market.

At the same time, as Arkema’s first “target lighthouse plant” test base in Asia, the Zhangjiagang plant will also take this opportunity to accelerate the upgrade of intelligent digital manufacturing, thus comprehensively improving its manufacturing level and ability to respond to the market.

Baocheng JIANG, General Manager of Arkema (Suzhou) Polyamides Co., Ltd., said: “All along, we have been actively adhering to the group vision of ‘Innovative Materials for a Sustainable World’ and providing customers with pioneering and sustainable solutions. At present, our high-performance specialty polyamide products from renewable raw materials have been widely used in various fields. Through this capital increase, we will accomplish further development and innovation to provide more sustainable and high-performance products for the local market to fulfill Arkema’s decarbonization strategy in China and the sustainable development of the chemical industry under the ‘double carbon’ goal.”

To boost Bostik’s development in China, Arkema seeks collaboration across regions
Bostik is an essential pillar of Arkema’s specialty adhesives business segment, with production plants in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changshu, and Taiwan in China. In recent years, Bostik’s business has shown a steady growth trend. The capital increase plan in Changshu will help Bostik continue to develop and provide innovative products and cutting-edge solutions for industrial production, construction, and consumption of intelligent adhesives to meet the booming market demand in China and Asia.

Mr. Jacob HE, Bostik Changshu Site Manager said: “The capital increase of RMB 100 million in Changshu is another major move after Bostik announced the capital increase of RMB 400 million in Minhang District, Shanghai. It will further support us in implementing localization plans for some key technologies and cooperating with upstream and downstream to build a more resilient, secure, and stable industrial chain. By doing so, we can provide local customers with convenient and safe services with newer and smarter solutions.”