DIC to Expand PPS Compounds Capacity in Japan

DIC Corporation said it will expand the production capacity for polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) compounds, at its Komaki Plant, in Aichi Prefecture. The leading global supplier of PPS compounds DIC, will invest approximately ¥800 million to expand the plant’s annual capacity to 3,500 metric tonnes. New equipment is scheduled to begin operating in September 2018.

It aims to raise the global PPS compounds market share to 30 percent, from the present 27 percent, by fiscal year 2018. Global demand for PPS compounds is growing at 6 to 8 percent annually. The situation in Japan, the principal market for these compounds, is similar. The expansion allows DIC to cater to the robust demand and further grow this business, the company said.

Under its current medium-term management plan, DIC108, DIC has positioned PPS compounds as a business that it expects to drive growth in the years ahead. Accordingly, the company has leveraged its integrated production configuration, which encompasses everything from the polymer to compounds, to steadily enhance its performance.

Valued for their excellent heat and chemical resistance and dimensional stability, PPS compounds are super-engineering plastics used widely as an alternative to metal materials in automotive components, as well as in types of housing equipment such as hot water heaters. In the automotive industry, in particular, a variety of factors continue to fuel a steady increase in the volume of PPS compounds used per vehicle.