Korea Kumho investing in elastomers

ERJ staff report (DS)

Seoul, Korea - Korea Kumho PetroChemical has confirmed a series of expansions in its elastomers business.

The company says it has a total annual capacity of 1.045 million tonnes of elastomer - all in the butadiene and SBR families. In addition, its sister company Korea Polychem has capacity for 100,000 tonnes of EPDM, being expanded to 160 kt by the middle of next year (2013). Polychem also lists 7kt of TPV production.

KKPC says it has 591 kt of capacity for styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) following the commissioning of new capacity of 110 kt at its Ulsan, Korea unit in September this year.

In addition the company said it expects to bring on stream a further 60 kt/year of solution-SBR next month in Yeosu, Korea.

The company also claims 309 kt of high-cis BR following a 22kt/year de-bottlenecking which came on stream at the end of 2011. KKPC also claims 55kt of low-cis BR.

KKPC has 50 kt of nitrile rubber; 10 kt of high styrene rubber; 70 kt of SBR latex and a further 70 kt of SBS thermoplastic elastomer.

KKPC said in its quarterly results presentation that the BST butadiene factory in Map Ta Phut has re-started after an explosion at the unit earlier this year.

In terms of global capacity, KKPC said it has the greatest total capacity for BR and SBR of all companies in the world. It claims 591 kt/year capacity of SBR and 364 kt of BR capacity at the end of 2012, giving a total of 955 kt.

The company quoted monthly price data showing the selling price of SBR has been declining this year to $2369/tonne in September 2012 from $3164 in April. The price of BR, said KKPC has fallen to $2707/tonne in September from $3729 in April.

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Results presentation from KKPC (Korean language)