China : INVISTA to build Nylon 6,6 intermediates & polymer plant

　　INVISTA Intermediates announced that it had signed a Land Reservation Agreement with the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Development Company, paving the way for the construction of a production plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park to meet the region's demand for nylon 6,6 intermediates and polymer.

　　INVISTA has also begun preparation work for environmental impact assessment and project application report, both of which are important steps in the establishment of the new plant.

　　"The construction of this plant is in response to the increasing demand in China and Asia for nylon 6,6, intermediates and polymer," said Warren Primeaux, president, INVISTA Intermediates. "The new technology we will incorporate will give us a significant competitive advantage, strengthen our position as supplier of choice to customers in the region, and sustain the growth of our business here."

　　The state-of-the-art plant will be the first of its kind to be built in Asia. It will employ INVISTA's advanced, proprietary butadiene-based technology to produce hexamethylene diamine (HMD) and adiponitrile (ADN), along with a variety of specialty intermediate chemicals and nylon 6,6 polymer.

　　The plant is expected to commence production in phases beginning 2010. When production comes on line, INVISTA plants around the world will have the capacity to produce two-thirds of the world's ADN and HMD, further enhancing the company's leading position in the global nylon industry.

　　The new plant will be the most energy efficient and technologically advanced in the world, according to Primeaux. It underscores INVISTA's continuing focus on improving energy efficiency and developing innovative technologies.

　　INVISTA has strong commitment to the Asia market. In the past week, the company has announced expansion of its joint-venture spandex facility in Foshan, Guangdong Province; expansion at the company's LDZ joint-venture spandex site in Lianyungang of Jiangsu Province; and construction of a nitric acid plant on Jurong Island in Singapore. INVISTA is also constructing a nylon 6,6 airbag fiber plant and has purchased a nylon carpet fiber plant in China.
 
　　INVISTA