DuPont, ChemChina form fluoroelastomers JV

Wilmington, Delaware - DuPont Fluoropolymer Solutions and China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) have formed a 50:50 joint venture for production and marketing of fluoroelastomer gums and pre-compounds in China.

The JV with Zhonghao Chenguang Chemical Research Institute Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of ChemChina, is formed to meet the “rapidly expanding” fluoroelastomer market in China, said a 28 Jan DuPont release.

The venture, named DuPont Haohua Chenguang Fluoromaterials (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, will sell fluoroelastomers under the Chenguang and Viton brands. It will also build a new pre-compound manufacturing facility in Shanghai.

“This joint venture is ideally positioned to support China’s growing market for fluoroelastomers, particularly for high-performance applications in China’s expanding automotive, aerospace, energy, electronics and telecommunications markets,” said Thierry Vanlancker, president, DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts.

“This strategic alliance will combine the complementary strengths of Chenguang and DuPont, and also add strategic investments in new capacity,” said Robert Lu, vice president of ChemChina. “This also will create a new entity that can more effectively serve customers in China and globally through new technologies and speciality fluoroelastomers.”