WICKLIFFE, OHIO -- Chlorinated PVC continues to be a strong market for Lubrizol Corp., as the firm has announced plans to build a new CPVC plant in Thailand through a joint venture with Sekisui Chemical Co.
The plant would have annual capacity of almost 70 million pounds and would represent an investment of about $50 million for Wickliffe, Ohio-based Lubrizol and Sekisui of Tokyo. The plant is expected to be in full operation by the end of 2014, Lubrizol officials said in a Feb. 20 news release.
A second phase of the project — which would double capacity and represent a similar investment — is expected to be on line by the end of 2016. Both companies will continue to independently market and sell CPVC resins made at the plant and will make their own CPVC-based compounds for their respective customers, officials said.
The new plant "is a significant step in expanding our CPVC business," Lubrizol Advanced Materials President Eric Schnur said in the release. "We are committed to providing our customers with high-quality CPVC products to support the global building and construction market."
The site will be Lubrizol's fourth global CPVC plant, joining plants in Louisville, Ky.; Oevel, Belgium; and a $125 million plant that's under construction in Deer Park, Texas.
Lubrizol employs about 7,000 worldwide and has annual sales of around $6 billion. In addition to CPVC, Lubrizol is a leading producer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).
