Ube Industries, Ltd. (Ube; Tokyo, Japan; www.ube-ind.co.jp) recently commemorated the launch of Lotte Ube Synthetic Rubber Sdn. Bhd., a joint venture (JV) for the manufacturing of butadiene rubber (BR) based in the Tanjung Langsat industrial park in Johor, Malaysia. The ceremony took place on August 24, 2015 and was attended by some 500 persons.
Michio Takeshita, chairman of Ube Industries, and Shin Dong Bin, Chairman of the Lotte Group, spoke to the crowd on behalf of the shareholders.
Lotte Ube Synthetic Rubber has a BR production capacity of 50,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), becoming the fourth BR production facility of the Ube Group. With facilities in Japan (126,000 m.t./yr), Thailand (72,000 m.t./yr), China (72,000 m.t./yr) and now Mayasia, the Ube Industries Group has a combined annual BR production capacity of 320,000 m.t./yr.
The main applications for BR are for use in tires, high impact polystyrene (HIPS), and shoe soles. Demand for BR is forecasted to grow significantly, centering on the Asian market, which is the biggest market for BR. Lotte Ube Synthetic Rubber plans to monitor trends in demand and eventually increase its production capacity by an additional 22,000 m.t./yr annually.