Zeon starts full-scale production at Thai acrylic rubber plant

Rayong, Thailand – Zeon Chemicals Asia Co., part of Japan’s Zeon Corp., has started commercial production of acrylic rubber (ACM) at its new manufacturing plant in Rayong.

The facility commenced industrial-scale production in the month of August, raising Zeon’s total ACM capacity to 22 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa), said the Japanese group in a 3 Sept statement. 

Zeon initially disclosed plans to build the Thai facility in 2018.

At the time, the manufacturer told ERJ that the capacity of the plant will be 5ktpa.

ACM is a speciality synthetic rubber combining high heat and oil resistance. The material is broadly utilised in under-hood automotive applications such as transmission seals, gaskets as well as inter-cooler hoses.

Zeon expects demand for acrylic rubber to “expand steadily” in Asia, led by production growth of internal combustion and turbo charged engine powered vehicles.

The group also manufactures acrylic rubber at its Kawasaki and Kurashiki facilities in Japan and at a production site in the US. 

In line with its medium-term management strategy, the Japanese group said it will aim to ‘improve the efficiency of its production lines’ and capture more demand for the ACM business.