Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo) announced that itwill increase production capacity at the meta-Xylylene Diisocyanate (XDI) plant within its Omuta Works in response to growing demand for hardeners used in hardly yellowing coatings. This would raise the expansion of domestic production capacity by 20%. Construction on the project started in February 2024 and is slated for completion in July 2025. Operation launched is tentatively scheduled for September 2025.
XDI is a special isocyanate that Mitsui Chemicals was the first in the world to produce on a commercial scale. XDI is widely acknowledged as a high refractive index ophthalmic lens material offering high durability, and as a coating and functional material for its outstanding resistance to yellowing and quick-curing properties. It is expected that the demand of XDI will further increase due to quality of life needs and shift away from mixed materials particularly in items such as adhesives for food packaging, which have to meet particularly rigorous safety standards, special inks and coating materials used in solar cells and smartphones, and microcapsules, which also require a high level of safety. Mitsui Chemicals is therefore responding to this increasing demand by expanding the XDI plant within its Omuta Works.