UniteChem Group, the world’s leading supplier of light stabilizers for plastics, will present its ambitious expansion journey with major investments in global production capacity and local customer support, at K 2022 in Hall 8a, Booth E33.

Over the past two decades, UniteChem has been taking its expertise in innovative light stabilizers and other performance additives beyond China to meet the demands of a growing customer base worldwide. Current investments extend across all levels, adding production, R&D, local sales and logistic capacities.

An important strength is the company’s solid backward integration, providing extensive production flexibility, high reliability and maximum quality control. The Group’s current 80,000 tons capacity for intermediates is being ramped up to more than 300,000 tons with an expansion of its existing Suqian (Jiangsu) facilities. In addition, 3 new plants are scheduled to come on-stream in 2022/2024 at Nanchong (Sichuan), Shengjin and Shengrui (both Jiangsu). These significant investments will also allow UniteChem to integrate further intermediates in its production and support the availability of new additive solutions.

Capacity in finished products will be more than doubled by an increase of 50,000 tons to meet growing customer demands for both existing and new products, such as UV absorbers – produced in a novel environmentally friendly process – as well as nucleating agents and other stabilizers. At its expanding Suqian site, UniteChem is also adopting a new and more sustainable technology for synthesizing benzotriazole UV absorbers in a proprietary catalytic hydrogenation reduction process.

UniteChem began producing industry-standard light stabilizers such as LS-944 in 1997 and has been continuously expanding its polymer additives portfolio ever since. Recently commercialized HALS (hindered amine light stabilizer) products have included LS-2020 for fibers and webs of polyolefin and other polymer materials, and LS-119 mainly for agricultural, greenhouse and engineering polymer applications in automotive etc.

Soon to be commercialized will be LS-4050 (in 2023), a low-molecular weight HALS for thick-wall items, as well as several halogen-free bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) BDP and piperazine pyrophosphate (PAPP) flame retardants for demanding components such as multi-fiber push on (MPO) connectors, and two high-heat polyamide (PA) stabilizers for automotive parts and fibers.

Product developments in the pilot stage include new HALS NO-R grade, state-of-the-art stabilizers for high-pesticide agricultural applications, and various nucleating agents mainly for use in polyolefins (PP, PE) but also in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), engineering polyesters (PBT) and polylactic acid (PLA).

UniteChem recently established a major warehouse in Antwerp, Belgium, and opened a sales office in Düsseldorf. The Group is also looking at potential further logistic sites in other EU countries, e.g. Italy, to improve the availability of product samples and accelerate the time-to-market of innovative new applications. Security of supply is backed by shipments from several different key ports in China.

To secure the funding of major investments especially in capacity and portfolio expansion, the Group is currently filing for initial public offering (IPO) at the Shanghai Main Stock Exchange and expects to become officially listed end of 2022.