Nouryon to Build Bermocoll Plant in Southeast Asia
Dutch specialty chemicals producer Nouryon is planning to build a new 15-20,000 t/y production facility for innovative and sustainable paints and coatings additives at a yet to be determined site in Southeast Asia. The move will expand the company’s Bermocoll business, which supplies ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose (EHEC) and other essential ingredients to multinational and regional customers.
The former AkzoNobel business said it expects to make the final site selection in the upcoming fourth quarter, with construction to begin in late 2022. Start-up is anticipated for mid-2024. Demand for Bermocoll continues to increase as consumption of water-based and odorless paints increases and the paints and coatings end-market keeps growing, said Larry Ryan, executive vice president of Nouryon and president of Performance Formulations and the Americas.
Nouryon recently invested in two existing EHEC facilities to debottleneck production and increase capacity to meet demand until the new capacity is on stream. Sobers Sethi, senior vice president of Emerging Markets and China at the Dutch company said Nouryon is considering several locations in Southeast Asia because “the region is a key growth market of the global chemical industry and presents great business opportunities for our organization.”
As part of AkzoNobel and as a standalone company, Nouryon has produced its Bermocoll range of products for more than 50 years. From its plants at Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, and Ningbo, China, the water soluble and virtually odorless products are currently sold in 80 countries. In addition to the paints and coatings end-market, the products are also used in the building and construction industry as an ingredient in dry-mix mortars, helping to improve adhesion, flexibility, water retention and workability.
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
