Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC; Tokyo; www.m-chemical.co.jp) has decided to build a plant in Thailand to produce its Diamiron multilayer co-extruded film, which is used in food packaging, medical supplies and devices, and a wide range of other fields. The plant will be located at an industrial park. Commercial operation is slated to start in April 2020.
Diamiron is a high-performance film offering a diversity of features that can be customized. It is Japan’s top-selling film for food packaging (deep-draw vacuum packaging) for products such as ham and sausage. In particular, its gas barrier performance significantly extends product shelf life, reducing food waste. In recent years, applications for Diamiron have expanded steadily into medical packaging materials such as transfusion bags as well as medical devices.
MCC’s decision to move ahead with local production of Diamiron represents a quick response to soaring demand for packaging materials in rapidly changing emerging markets in ASEAN countries, which continue to post strong economic growth, and particularly in Thailand, where convenience stores are becoming more popular and demand is rising for high-performance packaging. The new plant will also help MCC respond more quickly with a broad range of solutions for the many Japanese food manufacturing and processing firms clustered in Thailand.