Mitsui Chemicals to Establish New Production Facilities for MOSTRON™-L GFPP
Additional production to target automotive lightweighting
2018.05.22
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Prime Polymer Co., Ltd.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo: 4183; President & CEO: Tsutomu Tannowa) today announced that joint venture Prime Polymer Co., Ltd. (President: Naoshi Hamada), owned 65 percent by Mitsui Chemicals and 35 percent by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 5019; Representative Director & CEO: Shunichi Kito), intends to establish new production facilities for its MOSTRON™-L glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFPP).
Overview of New Production Facilities
| 1. Product | MOSTRON™-L glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFPP) |
|---|---|
| 2. Location | Prime Polymer Co., Ltd., Anesaki Works (Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture) |
| 3. Capacity | 3,500 tons/year |
| 4. Schedule | Operations commence in September 2019 (tentative) |
MOSTRON™-L is a Prime Polymer-developed composite material made by melting and mixing polypropylene (PP) resin with long glass fibers. Beyond a low specific gravity that allows the material to be used for lightweighting, it also offers an attractive appearance with long glass fibers providing a good balance between hardness and impact resistance. The product is already being adopted in areas such as the unpainted insides of rear car doors.
The recent strengthening of environmental regulations and a shift toward electric vehicles have led to increasing needs for automotive lightweighting and electrification. As a result, demand is on the rise for fiber-reinforced resins and is expected to grow further for such materials able to substitute for metal. These conditions have driven Mitsui Chemicals Group to establish its own manufacturing technology in this realm and work toward mass production.
Prime Polymer is positioning MOSTRON™-L as a strategic product going forward and is working to further reinforce and expand its business for the product.