Shin-Etsu to expand silicones production in US

Tokyo - Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. is planning to expand production capacity at the Shin-Etsu Silicones of America (SESA) plant in Akron, Ohio, the company announced 28 Aug.

The investment through SESA, which is engaged in the manufacturing and sales of silicones in the US, will be Yen2.4 billion, with the expansion work aimed for completion in the middle of 2019.

SESA’s Akron Plant is producing various silicone products that possess diversified forms and applications such as high consistency silicone rubber, liquid silicone rubber for adhesives and sealing materials, silicones for cosmetics and heat-dissipating silicones for applications in automobiles and electronics parts.

According to the Japanese speciality chemicals company, the project will expand production capacity for those silicone products, in addition to setting up a new production facility for silicone emulsions.

Shin-Etsu Chemical has scaled up its silicones business since 2014, with a major expansion at its facilities in Thailand and Japan and construction of a new research building at its Silicone-Electronics Materials Research Centre in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.

In total, the Japanese company has investment Yen65 billion in silicone growth in the past four years.

SESA is the North American base of Shin-Etsu Chemical’s silicones business.

In addition to its Akron plant, SESA also produces organo-functional silane at its production unit in Freeport, Texas.

Furthermore, Shin-Etsu opened a technical centre in the New Jersey in 2015, as the company is continuing to focus on the expansion of its silicones business.