Polymers Asian production

The major producers of VAM and VAM-based polymers include, but are not limited to, BP of the UK and Wacker Chemie of Germany. Celanese Chemicals, Dow Chemical Corp., DuPont and Millenium are important USA-based producers. In Asia, Kuraray, Nippon Gohsei and Showa Denko of Japan Dairen Chemical and Asian Acetyls of Taiwan and Shanghai Petrochemical and Sichuan Vinylon Works of China produce VAM and their polymers. These regions are also the major markets for the different products obtained from PVAc and its derivatives. 

In the first half of 2002, an Austrian chemical company (OMV) increased melamine sales volume by 57% by targeting markets for new applications. Most of the increased sales occurred in the automotive and construction industries. The melamine is being used in reinforced products where it is mixed with polymers. Melamine provides components and materials with an extra hard surface. Unfortunately OMV s melamine earnings actually decreased because of intense competition from Asian producers236. 

The massive expansion of the Chinese economy has had a profound impact on the production and use of commodity plastics in China. The first is the considerable growth in demand for polymer products which have outstripped local supply and as a consequence China is a major importer. This has had the effect of promoting large export oriented plants in other Asian countries, with large parts of their product slate destined for the Chinese market. China is now second to Japan in the amount of ethylene produced in the Far East. The Chinese nameplate capacity is almost 7 million tonnes/year. 

Malik A. Polymers and fibres in disposable medical products. Asian Text J 2001 10(1) 36-10. 

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