Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) has broken ground on a new 50,000 t/y plant for coatings and adhesives precursor hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) at its complex in Shanghai, China.

The plant due for start-up in 2016, is being touted as one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. Bayer already has one HDI plant in Shanghai, which was expanded in 2013 from its original annual capacity of 30,000 t/y.

Tony Van Osselaer, head of industrial operations at BMS, said locating the new plant at the integrated Shanghai site will allow the company to introduce a new manufacturing process that has a low environmental impact while also satisfying stringent safety requirements. The gas-phase technology requires substantially less energy and solvent than conventional processes, he said.

"The construction of our new HDI plant documents our confidence in the Asia/Pacific market and China, in particular," said Daniel Meyer, who heads the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties (CAS) business unit.