Celanese Corp. (Dallas, Tex.), a global chemical and specialty materials company, announced its intent to build a world-scale, multi-phase Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) polymerization plant in China to support the significant growth in its high-value Vectra and Zenite LCP product lines. Site selection is underway, and Celanese is considering both existing and greenfield locations to place its new LCP facility.
“5G, ‘Internet of Things’ and vehicle electrification are just a few of the macrotrends driving demand for materials that support device miniaturization, improved signal integrity and circuit densification,” said Stefan Kutta, Vice President, Engineered Materials for Celanese. “LCP is uniquely qualified to solve these challenging requirements, and this investment will support a reliable supply of LCP to a growing customer base and enable Celanese to capture additional growth in these exciting end-uses.”
The total scope of the investment is intended to support approximately 20,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of LCP production with the first phase of the project expected to come on-line in 2024. The addition of LCP polymerization capacity in China will make Celanese the only LCP producer with assets in both Asia and the Western Hemisphere, giving the company the unique ability to work closely with customers in multiple regions. Celanese currently has LCP polymerization capability in Shelby, North Carolina, and LCP compounding in North America, Europe and China.
“China continues to be a quickly growing manufacturing base for many global electronics and automotive customers and is home to more than 50 percent of current global demand for LCP. This investment will allow Celanese to continue innovating with our customers in this key geography and meet the rapidly growing demands for our LCP products,” concluded Kutta.