Ashland Starts up 2 Expansion Plants in Jiangsu

By Jenny Du   

Ashland Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd. of the United States put on
stream 2 expansion plants in Jiangsu province of East China,
respectively in Kunshan on June 25th, and in Changzhou on June
26th, 2007. In 2006, Ashland Fine Chemicals Co., Ltd. of the
United States decided to invest supplemental over US$10 million
to expand these two plants.
    The Kunshan Plant and the Changzhou Plant respectively
affiliate to the Composite Materials Department and the Cast
Department of Ashland. After expansion, the capacity in the
Kunshan Plant to manufacture gel coat, printing paste and low
contraction agent in the construction field will reach 5 000 t/a.
The capacity of resin for metal cast in the Changzhou Plant will
reach 5 000 t/a and the capacity of unsaturated resin for
fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP) and coatings will reach 20
000 t/a. The products can not only meet the domestic demand, but
also can be supplied to Japan, Korea, Australia and southeastern
regions. Nowadays, the gel coat share of the Kunshan Plant
accounts for 35% of the high end gel coat market in China. In
2004, Ashland established its China headquarter in Shanghai.