TOKYO, August 25, 2015 _ Ube Industries, Ltd. announced today that it had recently held a ceremony to commemorate the launch of Lotte Ube Synthetic Rubber Sdn. Bhd., a joint venture for the manufacturing of butadiene rubber (BR) based in the Tanjung Langsat industrial park in Johor, Malaysia. The ceremony took place on August 24, 2015 and was attended by some 500 persons.
Michio Takeshita, Chairman of Ube Industries, and Shin Dong Bin, Chairman of the Lotte Group, spoke to the crowd on behalf of the shareholders, with The Honourable Dato' Khaled Nordin, Chief Minister of Johor state, also addressing the crowd.
Lotte Ube Synthetic Rubber has a BR production capacity of 50 kilotonnes per year, becoming the fourth BR production facility of the UBE Group. With facilities in Japan (126 kilotonnes), Thailand (72 kilotonnes), China (72 kilotonnes) and now Mayasia, the Ube Industries Group has a combined annual BR production capacity of 320 kilotonnes.
The main applications for BR are for use in tires, high impact polystyrene (HIPS), and shoe soles. Demand for BR is forecasted to grow significantly, centering on the Asian market, which is the biggest market for BR. Lotte Ube Synthetic Rubber plans to monitor trends in demand and eventually increase its production capacity by an additional 22 kilotonnes annually.
Ube Industries will seek to best leverage the capacity from four global plants, to further strengthen its presence in the growing Asian market.
Location | Tanjung Langsat Industrial Complex |
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Established | March 2013 |
Capital Stock | US$60 million |
Shareholders | LOTTE CHEMICAL CORPORATION (40%), Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Sdn. Bhd. (10%), Ube Industries, Ltd. (40%), Mitsubishi Corporation (10%) |
President | Huh Kwang Sik |
Number of employees | 70 |
attendees of the ceremony
Michio Takeshita made a speech