Polybutadiene
Lotte Chemical held a completion ceremony of a chemical plant in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Aug. 24 to produce polybutadiene rubber (BR), which is a synthetic rubber. Accordingly, the company has pushed into the synthetic rubber business for the first time since its founding, accelerating the global growth roadmap by seeking new growth engines.
Since BR has excellent abrasion and water resistance in severe conditions with good flexibility at ambient temperatures, it is often used to produce tires and high impact polystyrene. Also, it is considered a high-functional material that is expected to grow in the future. The chemical plant will produce up to 50,000 tons of synthetic rubber annually, and increase its annual production capacity to 72,000 tons in 2017.
The ceremony on Aug. 24 was attended by officials of Lotte Group and related firms, including Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and Lotte Chemical CEO Huh Soo-young. Also, officials of the Malaysian government and its customer companies, including the Johor State Government Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, were there to celebrate the successful completion of the plant.
[[{"fid":"12493","view_mode":"body_image_right","fields":{"format":"body_image_right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The assembled officials pose for a group photo around Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin (center). Please see the text for the full names and titles of all of the officials.","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"The assembled officials pose for a group photo around Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin (center). Please see the text for the full names and titles of all of the officials.","height":388,"width":550,"class":"media-element file-body-image-right"}}]]Lotte Chemical will be able to produce various types of synthetic rubber at home and abroad in 2017, at a time when the joint special rubber business, which the company is currently working on with Italy’s Versalis, will be operating in earnest. So, it expects to have a stable product portfolio later.
At the ceremony, a group of officials posed for a photo together. Starting from the left, they were Johor State Government Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Datuk Thi Cieu Kiong, Ube Group CEO Michio Takeshita, Johor State MB Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Nordin, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, President of Lotte Chemical Heo Soo-young, President of Investment Department Malaysia Datuk Azman Mohammed, Director of Chemical Dept of Mitsubishi Trading Firm Miyauchhi Takahisha.