DuPont increases compounding capacity in Korea

DuPont Engineering Polymers has completed the expansion of polyamide compounding capacity at its production site in Ulsan, South Korea.

This expansion adds 20,000tpa of new capacity for its range of Zytel polyamide 6 and 66 resins to respond to rapid demand growth for reinforced nylon resins in the region, especially for automotive applications.

DuPont Korea president Cheoroo Won added that the capacity expansion meets the increasing demand of two key growth industries in Korea, which are automotive and electronics.

DuPont has outlined several investments for its engineered polymers business in Asia, including plans to build a new polymer plant to produce Zytel HTN high performance polyamide and Vespel parts and shapes in Singapore. At a recent pre-K conference, the firm also announced that a further US$200m investment will be committed over the next three years, mainly to support the expansion of its global polymer capacities.

“Continuing to invest in the regions with the highest market growth is a key strategy for our business”, said Dr Richard Mayo, DuPont Engineering Polymers global business director for Zytel nylon resins and Crastin PBT resins. “This new capacity in Korea will enable us to respond quickly to customers needs and ensure the supply of high quality products required to meet the rapidly increasing demand in the Asia Pacific region.”