Covestro to Build New TPU Center in China
Covestro will start the construction of a new Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU) APAC Application Development (AD) Center in Guangzhou, China.
It is the second investment announcement for TPU developments by Covestro in recent years. Just last year the company announced and started to build its largest TPU plant in the nearby coastal city of Zhuhai, China. The now announced AD center is designed to integrate technical expertise with innovative solutions and tailored services in key applications including films (PPF), specialty cables, consumer electronics, footwear, and further extrusion and injection applications.
“Establishing this new application development center in Guangzhou is a strategically important move for us to jointly with our customers leverage on the vibrant Asia-Pacific and especially the Chinese market. The center will also contribute to developing more sustainable TPU solutions, underscoring our dedication to innovation that benefits our esteemed customers and partners,” said Andrea Maier-Richter, EVP and Global Head of TPU at Covestro. “Together with the ongoing investment in our largest global TPU production site in Zhuhai, we will soon run two powerful engines in two major cities. This highlights our company’s ongoing commitment to growth and its commitment to the innovative capabilities of TPU in particular.”
“The new application development center in Guangzhou will play an instrumental role in engaging with major TPU industry clusters across China and APAC, particularly in consumer electronics and specialty extrusion applications,” said Kevin Ho, Head of Sales & Market Development for TPU in APAC at Covestro. “We are not only close to these industry clusters, we are also at the forefront of listening to our customers, partners and the industry value chain. By bolstering our AD capacities, we ever better can sense and meet the nuances and changes and navigate our solutions and services with velocity, agility and customer centricity.“
Covestro is dedicated to sustainable and circular solutions. The Desmopan CQ TPU portfolio exemplifies this by using alternative raw materials like waste or biomass feedstocks via mass balancing. The company aims to be fully circular and operationally climate neutral by 2035, using only renewable energy. This reduces the carbon footprint of TPU products. Their commitment is also evident in investments in new TPU properties to drive further developments. Construction is set to begin in late 2024, with the facility expected to become operational in 2025.
