Synthomer’s nitrile latex manufacturing plant in Pasir Gudang in Johor, Malaysia is currently undergoing a capacity expansion project which will make it the world’s largest nitrile polymerisation reactor upon its completion by July 2018, the company announced.
One of the world’s major suppliers of lattices and specialty emulsion polymers, Synthomer said the plant’s latest phase of expansion brings an additional RM270 million to the company’s original investment of more than RM1 billion at its two nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) production plants and innovation centres in Pasir Gudang and Kluang since 2001. These facilities are intended to support the production and development of nitrile latex products for the medical and industrial glove industry.
Synthomer’s project to expand its Pasir Gudang plant was first announced last year in anticipation of increased growth in demand from glove manufacturers globally. Following an extensive technical review a completely new reactor concept was developed to deliver the highest levels of safety, quality and productivity.
The first phase of the expansion project, which commenced during the second half of 2016, includes the installation of additional NBR latex production line that will support faster product cycle rates, improve manufacturing efficiencies and is expected to bring an additional annual capacity of approximately 100Kwt upon completion.
“With this project Synthomer is building for the future. This expansion will in total deliver an additional 200Kwt in two distinct 100Kwt phases. Phase 1 of the project is currently underway, however, we have taken the opportunity during this phase of construction to scale up our utilities and other supporting infrastructure to additionally meet the requirements for Phase 2, which will allow us to bring the additional 100Kwt of capacity on line very quickly when it is required,” said Derick Whyte, Executive Vice President, Asia.
“Synthomer has a strong track record of investing in its Nitrile Latex business not only in terms of capacity expansion but also in product innovation where we remain committed to meeting the evolving needs of our customers, and it is also a sign of our continuing investment in the Malaysian economy,” added Whyte.
Manufacturers of disposable medical examination gloves are continuously striving to enhance their products’ performance with improved tensile strength and elongation whilst reducing their film thickness and glove weight. To support these needs, Synthomer has developed a range of innovative grades of nitrile latex which enable the glove manufacturers to meet these increasingly challenging industry requirements.
“Being a specialist for Nitrile (NBR) and Polychloroprene (CR) lattices as well as pre-vulcanised Natural Latex (PV NR), Synthomer can offer versatile choices to fulfil customer’s requirements. Dedicated products are tailored for unlined, lined, and fabric-supported gloves and take into consideration important processing features like high flock adhesion, efficient fibre coating or low latex permeation,” said Jason Davies, Director of the Health & Protection Strategic Business Unit.
The entire product portfolio is designed to meet the highest requirements, providing high flexibility and comfort as well as a high barrier protection, concluded Davies.