Global material solutions provider Trinseo plans to build a Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) pilot facility at their manufacturing site in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Once operational in 2020, the new TPE pilot facility will enable Trinseo to locally produce its custom-engineered TPE and thermoplastic urethanes (TPU) alongside its leading bioplastics portfolio.
The TPE pilot facility will also strengthen Trinseo’s TPE growth strategy in Asia Pacific and serve the global Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Footwear and Medical markets.
This investment marks Trinseo’s next step on its TPE growth roadmap following the acquisition of Italian-based Applicazioni Plastiche Industriali (API), a company that specialises in thermoplastic elastomeric compounds and bioplastics, in July 2017.
Tim Stedman, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Trinseo, said: “The pilot facility demonstrates our commitment to offer a differentiated, globally available TPE portfolio to our customers; the investment in the Asia Pacific region will further strengthen our ability to create growth synergies with customers between our rigid and soft-touch polymers.”