Mitsui Chemicals Completes Expansion; MDI Demand Expected to Grow by 6% Annually

On October 23, Mitsui Chemical Co., LTD., a well-known Japanese chemical company, officially made an important announcement. The expansion project of a diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) production plant of its subsidiary Kumho Mitsui Chemical Co., Ltd. was successfully completed at the end of September and entered the commercial operation phase.

As a vital polyurethane raw material, MDI plays an irreplaceable role in many fields. It is widely used in automotive parts, bedding and furniture, building and refrigerator insulation, elastic fibers and various adhesives and other fields. Given that countries around the world are aggressively pursuing policies aimed at curbing global warming, these policies are particularly focused on improving residential insulation. At the same time, with the continuous growth of the economy, people's demand for improving the comfort of life is also increasing. As a result, the demand for MDI is expected to continue to grow at a rate of 6% per year.

Kumho Mitsui Chemical Co., Ltd. specializes in the production and sale of high-performance MDI (including monomer and modified MDI) for automotive parts, elastic fibers and synthetic leather, as well as polymer MDI for thermal insulation materials. The capacity expansion project was implemented to meet the growing market demand for high-performance MDI, especially for electric vehicles to reduce noise, vibration and roughness (NVH), and insulation materials.

In addition to expanding the production plant, Kumho Mitsui Chemical Co., Ltd. also plans to install recycling facilities that can reuse by-products from the production process and put them back into production as raw materials. This will not only help to significantly reduce production costs by increasing self-sufficiency in raw materials, but will also reduce plant wastewater emissions and greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain.

Kumho Mitsui Chemical Co., Ltd. is committed to becoming a leader in the global MDI market. With the increased capacity of these advanced new units, Mitsui Chemical Co., Ltd. will continue to promote the expansion of the MDI business and strive to improve the performance of MDI products. This move will not only consolidate the company's leading position in the global MDI market, but also provide customers with higher quality products and services.