Covestro has completed construction on a new production facility for polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) in Shanghai, China.

Upon becoming operational in the initial quarter of the upcoming year, the additional production capability is anticipated to effectively cater to the increasing need for eco-friendly coatings and adhesives in the Asia Pacific region.

This will serve various industries including automotive, construction, furniture, footwear, and packaging. The plant will be producing waterborne PUDs that boast properties equal to the performance of solvent-based types, and in 2024 also grades with more circular contents.

“With this new facility we aim to offer the broadest portfolio of PUDs to support the sustainability efforts of downstream industries here in Asia Pacific,” explained Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer of Covestro.

“The modular concept adopted in the construction phase will also enable us to implement future investment projects and build up capacity more efficiently to capture market demand.”

Housed inside Covestro Integrated Site Shanghai (CISS), the plant was built by a service provider, leveraging modular construction under controlled conditions in a hall in Nantong, Jiangsu province. The individual modules, upon completion, were transported to and assembled at the final site. This approach helps shorten the total construction lead time while making investment more efficient.

Utilizing Covestro’s strong local innovation prowess, the upcoming facility will bolster the company’s capacity to provide Polyurethane Dispersions (PUD), thereby contributing to the growing focus on sustainability within the coatings and adhesives sector in the Asia Pacific region.

For instance, waterborne PUDs are key enablers for low-emission solutions. They also help customers to more efficiently apply furniture paints or bonding in shoemaking, thanks to the innovative one-component technology from Covestro.

“With this additional PUD capacity, we are meeting and driving the trend for sustainable, waterborne coatings and adhesives in Asia Pacific, reinforcing our commitment to customers in this region.

Our ongoing dedication to sustainability and circularity enables us to provide our customers and partners with even better access to more sustainable solutions that at the same time offer comparable performance to classic, solvent-based products.

This enables us to actively promote widespread adoption of environmentally compatible alternatives,” commented Dr. Thomas Roemer, Head of Business Entity Coatings and Adhesives at Covestro.

Source