Kemira, a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water intensive industries, announces a significant investment in the production of alkenyl succinic anhydride sizing agent (ASA) in China. ASA is one of the most effective and cost-efficient sizing agents for improving water-resistance in paper and packaging board.
This investment into an additional, third production line at the company’s state-of-the-art Nanjing site in the Jiangsu province, will expand Kemira’s ASA production capacity substantially. Earlier this year, Kemira announced the start-up of a new dry polymer production plant in Ulsan, South Korea. These investments are part of Kemira’s growth strategy implementation.
“Kemira is the leading producer and supplier of ASA in the Asia Pacific region. We are committed to the industry and want to ensure security of supply and high quality products in the long term, supporting our customers’ expansion plans. The capacity ramp-up will take place during 2022-2023,” states Alexander Wahl, Director of the global sizing product line at Kemira.
“This expansion decision comes at a time when customers are concerned about the current tight supply situation coupled with rapidly growing demand. It shows our commitment to the region as well as to building future growth for the paper and board industry together with our customers. Even in the current challenging market situation, we take pride in making every possible effort to continue to supply our customers without significant delays or availability issues,” says Nichlas Kavander, Senior Vice President of the Kemira Pulp & Paper commercial organization in APAC.