At the mammoth plastics trade fair Chinaplas, Celanese announced plans to expand compounding capacity for "Fortron" PPS compounds at its integrated site at Nanjing, China up to the end of 2014.

The US group said the expansion, which it did not quantify, is in reaction to "impressive growth" in the People's Republic and in Asia generally.

In a 50:50 joint venture with Japan's Kureha, Fortron Polymers, Celanese produces 15,000 t/y of the high-tech heat-resistant polymer at Wilmington, North Carolina. The company recently applied for $100,000 in state aid to "make improvements" at the site. It was not clear whether expansion was targeted.