Materials Science

Mitsui Chemicals to raise production of high-performance elastomers in Singapore

Mitsui Chemicals has announced that Mitsui Elastomers Singapore,  a wholly owned subsidiary based in Singapore, is set to raise its production capacity for TAFMER high-performance elastomers. TAFMER holds a world-leading market share as a resin modifier and soft moulding material. Both flexible and lightweight, the elastomer series sees use in a wide range of applications, including automotive materials, packaging materials, solar battery encapsulants, engineering plastic modifiers and sports shoe midsoles.

Global economic growth is driving strong demand for TAFMER, with automotive material applications in particular expected to see further demand growth going forward. This comes as automobile production numbers continue to rise and tightening environmental regulations spur needs for lightweighting.

Mitsui Chemicals has a long track record when it comes to supplying automotive material manufacturers around the world, focusing here on polypropylene (PP) compounds. To keep up its steady supply moving forward, the company plans to remove bottlenecks at existing TAFMER production facilities, allowing it to increase production capacity for the elastomer series.

Mitsui Chemicals and MELS are also considering additional increases to supply capacity for TAFMER as they look to grow their business here further. Through these plans, Mitsui Chemicals intends to be proactive in maintaining and strengthening its position as holding the top global share in this area.