Page 66 - Plastics News January 2018

Business news

Aluplast's India plant becomes Japanese chemical firms merge

export hub ABS businesses

he Indian plant of German apan’s Ube Industries, JSR Corp. and Mitsubishi
Twindow profile extrusion firm JChemical Corp., have integrated their ABS resin
Aluplast GmbH has emerged as a businesses in a move which first announced in March
2017.The integration will see JSR’s wholly-owned
sizable export hub for the firm,
according to company. "There is no
other Aluplast plant in the whole
Asia-Pacific, therefore, the whole
market is served by the [India]
plant, and even to the parent company also. We export 30
to 40 percent of the production to 18 countries including
Germany," said Arun Sharma, managing director of Aluplast
India Pvt. Ltd. The Karlsruhe, Germany-based company
opened the Vadodara plant in 2016.
"We have invested about 100 crore Indian rupees ($15.7
million) in the 30,000-square-meter plant and bring in
latest technology from the parent group, like coextrusion subsidiary Techno Polymer Co. Ltd and UMG ABS Ltd,
of gaskets," he said. Currently, the Vadodara plant has an equally-owned company by Ube Industries and
installed capacity of 13.2 million pounds of PVC window Mitsubishi Chemical, integrating into Techno-UMG Co.
profiles but produces around 4.4 million pounds in line with Ltd. JSR said the integration, originally scheduled to
requirements in domestic and overseas markets."We have take effect Oct.ober 1, has now been completed with
around 5 percent market share in the domestic market, Techno-UMG set to start work April 1 this year. According
growing at the rate of 10 percent annually," he said. to JSR, the scheduled start was delayed due to the time
Sharma said the Indian window market is in its early stages. needed to complete the procedures stipulated in the
competition laws, other laws and regulations applicable
"There is a huge growth potential in the near future as in relevant countries. Techno Polymer and UMG ABS will
currently, the PVC window market is estimated to be jointly operate the integrated new company. Techno-
around 5-7 percent of the total market, compared to 55 UMG will be based in Tokyo and will be manufacturing,
percent in Europe," he said. "But it has the potential to process and marketing styrene resins, including ABS, AS,
reach 22 to 25 percent in the next five years." He said the AES. JSR will hold 51 percent of the shares while UMG
Vadodara plant also has a technical center. As part of a ABS will hold the remaining 49 percent.
skill development effort, the center also offers training
to business partners on window fabrication. Currently, earlier in 2016 JSR, Mitsubishi Rayon, and Ube Industries
Aluplast is working with about 35 fabricators, which would had started to discuss the merger of subsidiaries that
be hiked to 40 by the end of 2018. Family-owned Aluplast produce the engineering plastic acrylonitrile-butadiene-
has 24 production sites and sales offices around the world. styrene. The two subsidiaries are Techno Polymer,
The plant in Vadodara is a fully integrated part of the wholly owned by JSR, and UMG ABS, equally owned
extrusion network of aluplast which means that the Indian by Mitsubishi Rayon and Ube. Techno Polymer is in
extrusions are also supplied back to its headquarters in Yokkaichi, Japan; UMG operates two plants in southern
Karlsruhe, Germany. aluplast’s Indian products’ quality is Japan.ABS Resin UMG ABS™ of Mitsubishi Chemical
thus in line with the aluplast quality standard worldwide. Corporation.Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation was
The plant in Vadodara uses aluplast’s unique tropical established by integrating former Mitsubishi Chemical,
mix compound which is especially designed to prevent Mitsubishi Plastics and Mitsubishi Rayon. We provide
the discoloring of profiles in regions with very high UV diverse solutions based on chemistry in a wide range
radiation like India. This compound is produced and of fields from industrial materials to performance
supplied directly from aluplast Germany, 100% lead free. products.
Plastics News Januar y 2018 66