Orion opens second carbon black plant in China

Houston, Texas – Orion SA has inaugurated its second carbon black production facility in eastern China in response to ‘fast-growing demand’ in Asia.

The greenfield project in the city of Huaibei, Anhui province, will produce carbon black for rubber, polymers, coatings, printing inks and fibre applications.

With two production lines, the facility has a total capacity of 70 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa), said Orion in a statement issued 20 Nov.

The plant will enable Orion to support Chinese customers “with products that are made in China,” said Orion CEO Corning Painter said during the opening ceremony.

“Now we can reallocate production lines in the US and Europe so that we can increase supply to customers in those markets,” he added.

Orion operates another carbon black manufacturing plant in Qingdao in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong.

The facility, built in 1994, produces carbon black grades for tires, mechanical rubber goods and speciality applications.

Orion launched the new project in August 2021, amid “extreme challenges” posed by Covid-19, according to Painter.

At the time, Orion said Asia was expected to see “the strongest growth in demand for carbon black in the coming years.”