JSR Group's Additional Enhancement of EPDM Production Capacity
- Kumho Polychem Co., Ltd. to Establish Additional Production Line -
04/15/2013
Tokyo, Japan, April 15, 2013 - JSR Corporation (President: Mitsunobu Koshiba) is pleased to announce that Kumho Polychem Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea; Chairperson: Chan Koo Park), a JSR Group company, has decided to establish an additional production line with a production capacity of 60,000 tons per year at a second plant currently under construction (production capacity of 60,000 tons per year, operations scheduled to commence in September 2013, Yeosu National Industrial Complex, Korea), in order to reinforce the supply system for the ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) business.
Construction of the additional production line will commence in July 2014, with operations scheduled to be launched in September 2015.
EPDM is a type of synthetic rubber used for a wide variety of items to support our daily lives, such as automotive parts, electric/wire insulation coating material, tire tubes, and general industrial rubber parts.
In January 1988, Kumho Polychem Co., Ltd. established a plant with an annual production capacity of 13,000 tons and began to manufacture EPDM for the first time in Korea. Since then, the company has been contributing considerably to achieving stable demand and supply in the Korean market and development of the automotive industry. As a result of the enhancement of capacity conducted three times so far, the company presently boasts an annual production capacity of 90,000 tons. The launch of operations of the second plant currently under construction and the additional production line will increase the annual production capacity to 210,000 tons.
As a result, the total annual EPDM production capacity of the entire JSR Group, including 36,000 tons per year at the JSR Kashima Plant, will reach 246,000 tons. This will enable the JSR Group to establish a provision system to respond to the expansion of automobile production in Asian emerging countries and the increase in demand from Korean automotive parts manufacturers accelerating their globalization efforts. Moreover, as for sales of EPDM, we strive to optimize the synergy in conjunction with the carbon masterbatch business at ELASTOMIX Co., Ltd., another Group subsidiary company.
< Outline of Additional EPDM Production Line >
(Attached Document)
Outline of Kumho Polychem Co., Ltd.
Construction of the additional production line will commence in July 2014, with operations scheduled to be launched in September 2015.
EPDM is a type of synthetic rubber used for a wide variety of items to support our daily lives, such as automotive parts, electric/wire insulation coating material, tire tubes, and general industrial rubber parts.
In January 1988, Kumho Polychem Co., Ltd. established a plant with an annual production capacity of 13,000 tons and began to manufacture EPDM for the first time in Korea. Since then, the company has been contributing considerably to achieving stable demand and supply in the Korean market and development of the automotive industry. As a result of the enhancement of capacity conducted three times so far, the company presently boasts an annual production capacity of 90,000 tons. The launch of operations of the second plant currently under construction and the additional production line will increase the annual production capacity to 210,000 tons.
As a result, the total annual EPDM production capacity of the entire JSR Group, including 36,000 tons per year at the JSR Kashima Plant, will reach 246,000 tons. This will enable the JSR Group to establish a provision system to respond to the expansion of automobile production in Asian emerging countries and the increase in demand from Korean automotive parts manufacturers accelerating their globalization efforts. Moreover, as for sales of EPDM, we strive to optimize the synergy in conjunction with the carbon masterbatch business at ELASTOMIX Co., Ltd., another Group subsidiary company.
< Outline of Additional EPDM Production Line >
| Production capacity: | 60,000 tons per year |
| Construction start: | July 2014 |
| Construction completion: | June 2015 |
| Operations launch: | September 2015 |
(Attached Document)
Outline of Kumho Polychem Co., Ltd.
| 1. Name: | Kumho Polychem Co., Ltd. |
| 2. Headquarters location: | Seoul Special City, the Republic of Korea |
| 3. Plant location: | Yeosu National Industrial Complex, Yeosu-si, Jeonnam, the Republic of Korea |
| 4. Established: | June 1985 |
| 5. Representative: | Chairperson Chan Koo, Park; Vice President: Takashi Wakabayashi |
| 6. Capital: | 21.5 billion won |
| 7. Ownership: | JSR Corporation - 50%; Kumho Petro Chemical - 50% |
| 8. No. of employees: | 163 (as of the end of December 2012) |
| 9. Production capacity | |
| Existing first plant: | 90,000 tons per year |
| Newly established second plant: | 120,000 tons per year (after the launch of operations of the additional production line) |