Strong demand is spurring Bayer to bring plans forward

Bayer MaterialScience has outlined several major expansions to capitalise on the growing demand for polycarbonate in China and the Asia Pacific region in general. Ongoing expansion projects at Bayer’s Shanghai integrated site include a HDI production unit (with an initial capacity of 30,000tpa) scheduled to be complete by 2007 and the construction of a production site for transparent Makrolon PC. The latter is Bayer’s fifth Makrolon production base worldwide and its first major PC production facility in China, expected to start up in 2006.

The global head of Bayer’s polycarbonate business unit Dr Guenter Hilken explained how the strong regional demand has spurred the company to bring forward investment plans in China and double PC production to a total capacity of 200,000tpa by as early as 2007. Bayer is already evaluating locations for the construction of additional PC compounding capacity in south China. The company also announced plans to launch production operations for PC films at Map Ta Phut, Thailand, by the second quarter of 2007, establishing its first facility in Asia for extruded PC film products.