Sekisui Chemical to increase foam production in US

Recently, Sekisui Chemical said that the company will invest 6 billion yen in its Michigan plant in the United States to expand foam production. To this end, the company's U.S. factory will add new plant buildings and increase production capacity by about 20%. The capacity expansion project is expected to be completed and put into operation from July to September 2024.

It is reported that the material for Sekisui Chemical's increased production is polyolefin foam, which is foamed by heating polyethylene with electron beams. This material is used in industrial tapes or medical devices. Sekisui Chemical said that at present, the annual production capacity of the company's U.S. plant is about 6,000 tons, and there is still a big gap to meet the needs of industrial and medical applications.

Sekisui Chemical's polyolefin foam has 8 production sites in Japan, the United States and Europe. In addition to the use of industrial tapes and medical equipment, foam plastics are also used in automotive interior materials.