Tokyo, Japan—Tosoh Corporation, a leading manufacturer of chemical products, is pleased to announce that de-bottlenecking operations have resulted in a production capacity increase of 1,000 metric tons for its specialty-grade synthetic rubber Toso-CSM (chlorosulphonated polyethylene). This expansion brings Tosoh’s total annual CSM capacity to 9,500 metric tons at its main, Nanyo Complex manufacturing facility, located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The increased capacity allows Tosoh to support continued demand growth and new applications.
As the leading global supplier of CSM, Tosoh continues to take steps to ensure stable supply by establishing inventory in strategic locations and investing in onsite critical spare parts to ensure stable operations. The company also plans to develop advanced CSM-related through synergies with its Skyprene Chloroprene Rubber operations. Market demand for CSM is expected to remain firm, with sales of between 70% and 80% abroad. Demand is expected to grow especially for automobile related applications in Asia.
Toso-CSM synthetic rubber can easily be pigmented to produce brilliant colors and is resistant to ozone, weather, oil, and chemicals. It is used in automobile and industrial hoses, adhesives and coatings, escalator railings, linings for electrical and mechanical products and consumer products such as raincoats and boats.
Tosoh was first compelled to increase production capacity for Toso-CSM in an attempt to stabilize the global supply structure in a market thrown into turmoil when the only other major manufacturer of CSM announced its withdrawal from the business in 2009. Since 2010 and the completion of its capacity expansion, from 4,000 to 8,500 metric tons, the company’s production lines have run at full capacity to support the global demand. In addition to stabilizing the worldwide supply of CSM, Tosoh’s efforts to raise its production of CSM, then and now, represent the company’s commitment to strengthen and expand its overall polymer operations and thereby enhance the reliability of those operations for customers.
Tosoh continues to transform its operations from commodity to higher-value functional polymers. Based on decades of expertise, Tosoh is devising new products for optical, automotive, energy, and medical applications. A long-term strategy in polymers provides for aggressively promoting the company’s core products ethylene vinyl acetate and low-density polyethylene, where Tosoh holds a competitive edge. Tosoh is continuously refining its polymerization and catalyst technology to generate increasingly higher-value-added grades of polyethylene. In functional polymers specifically, Tosoh is focusing on developing new applications and on expanding capacities for chloroprene rubber, chlorosulphonated polyethylene, polyphenylene sulfide resins, polyvinyl chloride paste, and hydrocarbon resins.
TOSOH CORPORATION
WHO WE ARE
Tosoh Corporation is a Japanese chemical company established in 1935 and listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It is the parent of the Tosoh Group, which comprises 140 companies worldwide and a multiethnic workforce of over 11,000 people and generated net sales of ¥687.1 billion (US$8.4 billion at the year-end rate of ¥82.19 to the US dollar) in fiscal 2012, ended March 31, 2012.
WHAT WE DO
Tosoh is one of the largest chlor-alkali manufacturers in Asia. The Company supplies the plastic resins and an array of the basic chemicals that support modern life. Tosoh's petrochemical operations supply ethylene, polymers, and polyethylene, while its advanced materials business serves the global semiconductor, display, and solar industries. Tosoh has also pioneered sophisticated bioscience systems that are used for the rapid diagnosis of life-threatening diseases, such as diabetes and certain cancers, and to prevent epidemics by identifying pathogenic microbes. In addition, Tosoh develops products and provides services to purify water and to monitor the environment as part of a commitment to a sustainable future.
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