Styron announced plans to expand its latex capacity with a new reactor at its Zhangjiagang, China, production facility. The expansion will mainly support the demand for latex in China's growing paper and paperboard industry.

"The paper and paperboard industries have been using Styron's latex chemistries for innovative binder coatings for more than 60 years," said James Mingyu Ni, Styron Latex Business Director for Asia Pacific. "This investment at Zhangjiagang will allow us to expand our reach in the Chinese marketplace."

The new reactor, expected to commence production in the second quarter of 2015, will be Styron's fourth unit of its kind at Zhangjiagang. It will serve mainly the paper and paperboard and also carpet industries, and complement Styron's other latex production facilities in the Asia Pacific region in Korea and Indonesia.

"The expansion at Zhangjiagang supports Styron's commitment to the latex business and in particular the Asia Pacific region, which is an important growth region for the company," said Marco Levi, Senior Vice President and Business President, Emulsion Polymers.

Styron has been operating latex plants at Zhangjiagang for many years, calling the site the ideal location to expand its latex production and offerings in the Asia pacific region.