International.
With demand for high-performance coatings and adhesives growing in Asia, materials manufacturer Covestro announced that it is expanding production of the HDI feedstock.
To meet this demand, a new world-scale plant has been opened at the Shanghai headquarters in China. It can produce up to 50,000 metric tons of HDI per year. The company explains that the production technology is very environmentally friendly, efficient and safe. The plant represents another milestone in the investment program for the headquarters.
"Especially in China and the Asia-Pacific region, there is strong demand for coatings and adhesives in key sectors such as textiles, automotive, construction, and furniture and footwear. We believe there is considerable growth potential through product innovations and applications, and we are responding with the expansion of our HDI production capacity," said Daniel Meyer, head of Covestro's coatings, adhesives and specialties segment.
The new plant stands out because of its particularly environmentally friendly production process. For example, in the last stage of the process the use of solvents has been reduced by up to 80% percent and up to 60% less energy is used compared to conventional technology. Overall, the carbon footprint of HDI production has been reduced by up to 70%.
