JSR to build carbon masterbatch facility in Mexico

Guanajuato, Mexico – JSR Corp.’s subsidiary Elastomix Co. is setting up a carbon masterbatch (CMB) production facility and a company in Irapuato, Guanajuato, according to a 14 Oct JSR release.

Construction work on the facility is set to start in January 2017 with start-up scheduled for 2018.

JSR did not give further details on the production capacity of the $5.1-million plant.

The new facility is being constructed in response to growing car production and demand in Mexico, which, JSR said, is the world’s seventh largest car-maker.

“Many Japanese automotive parts manufacturers that are major Elastomix customers are also entering Mexico and are expected to increase their production there going forward,” said the report.

Elastomix has been in expansion mode in Asia since the acquisition of a stake in China’s Tianjin Kuo Cheng Rubber Industry Co. in 1996.

It later established Elastomix (Thailand) JV in 2000, Elastomix (Foshan) in 2005, and PT. Elastomix Indonesia in 2013.

The Mexican expansion, said JSR, aims to further improve Elastomix’s growth in North America.