日本合成橡胶公司匈牙利SSBR装置建成准备试生产

JSR Corp. has constructed a new plant in Hungary for the production of solution-polymerized styrene–butadiene rubber (S-SBR), in a joint venture with JSR MOL Synthetic Rubber Ltd. Late April saw the JV complete construction work and move into trial operations.

 JSR MOL Synthetic Rubber is owned 51 percent by JSR and 49 percent by local firm MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas PLC. While the JV was originally slated to begin sales in 2017, it ran into delays. Current plans are to manufacture product samples in the second half of this fiscal year, then shift over to commercial production before the fiscal year ends. 

At present, JSR’s annual production capacity for S-SBR comes to 60,000 tons at the company’s Yokkaichi plant, and 100,000 tons at a plant in Thailand. Of this 160,000 ton total, one line, or 20,000 tons, at the Yokkaichi plant is set aside for research and development, leaving practical capacity at 140,000 tons. 

If JSR manages growth of 7 percent with its S-SBR business this fiscal year, the company’s existing facilities for the material will be operating at full capacity within the second half of the year. The company has therefore indicated that, despite the delays, the new Hungarian plant should be up and running at quite a convenient time. Once it begins mass production, the Hungarian plant is slated to offer 60,000 tons in S-SBR capacity per year. This comes amid the EU’s implementation of Euro 6 standards on automotive exhaust gases, a development that is driving a push for further improvements to tire fuel efficiency, and so is expected to serve as a tailwind for S-SBR sales. Against this backdrop, numerous tire manufacturers are moving to set up production in Eastern Europe. And in an effort to capture the relevant market share, JSR noted, there are plans to look not only at Europe, but also at the U.S. The company, therefore, aims to be prompt in getting its new operations up and running, and in gaining approval from users in the market.