LANXESS launches new production line for water-based compounds in China

LANXESS has put a new production line for the manufacture of water-based compounds into operation in Nantong, China.

The business belongs to the Urethane Systems (URE) business unit which is also producing PU dispersions. Under the Pellart brand, these products are used in many functional coatings applications where high requirements in terms of haptics, chemical resistance, gloss level, temperature and abrasion resistance and the lowest possible content of volatile organic compounds (VOC) are required.

Typical areas of application include flat materials for automobile interiors.

Michael Timm, Head of Marketing and Development Cast Elastomers at URE, said: “As the automotive industry will continue to switch from solvent-based to environment-friendly water-based coatings, we see strong potential with attractive growth rates.”  

With the new production line, LANXESS will be able to supply customers in Asia with modern and environmentally friendly Pellart products. Fast developments and customer proximity are provided by the coupling with the application development center, which was opened by LANXESS in Shanghai in June 2021, as well as by the backward integration into its PU dispersions. LANXESS thus offers a flexible set-up that enables fast scale-up of newly developed, customer-specific Pellart formulations.

LANXESS produces polyurethanes and lubricants at its Nantong site, which covers over 100,000 square metres. The urethanes products include hot-cast prepolymers, which are components of specialty polyurethanes that are used primarily in the construction, mining, oil, gas, athletic equipment and electronics industries. These polymers are used, for example, to manufacture rollers, tires and wheels, conveyor belts, screens, seals and so on.