Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo) announced plans to bolster capacity at its Singapore-based wholly owned subsidiary Mitsui Elastomers Singapore Ltd. by building a new plant to produce the high-performance elastomer Tafmer. The new plant will be located at the company’s Jurong Island plant site and will add 120,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr) of Tafmer capacity once the plant is complete in 2024.
Tafmer is used both as a soft molding material and as a resin modifier that dramatically improves resin properties. Its flexibility and lightness have resulted in Tafmer being used across a wide range of fields, including solar cell components, packaging materials, engineering plastic modifiers, sports shoes and automotive parts.
Demand for Tafmer is strong amid robust global economic growth, and is expected to rise further on the back of efforts to achieve a circular economy and step up the introduction of clean energy.