ExxonMobil adding butyl rubber capacity in Singapore

Singapore – ExxonMobil has officially broken ground on the building of production units for halobutyl rubber and hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin at its Singapore Chemical Plant on Jurong Island.

The halobutyl rubber expansion project will add 140,000 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of new production capacity, said ExxonMobil – a major supplier of this material to the global tire industry.

The hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin production unit will be the world’s largest, with a capacity of 90ktpa, to meet long-term demand growth for hot-melt adhesives, the company added.

The project-start follows on from the company’s completion of a major petrochemical expansion in Singapore. Work is expected to be completed in 2017 and will add about 140 new jobs to the existing workforce of around 2,000 at the integrated site.

“Our expanded steam cracking capability at Singapore provides a platform for growth [in petrochemicals] that can be further upgraded to speciality products, such as halobutyl rubber and adhesive resins,” said Neil Chapman, senior vice president, ExxonMobil Chemical Co.

The Singapore chemical plant, he added, will serve “the fast growing market in Asia with advantaged feedstock, economies of scale, and excellent logistics.”