BMS starts construction of its first solid sheet facility in China
Guangzhou, China, Oct. 20, 2011 — Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) today broke ground for a polycarbonate solid sheet facility at the Yonghe Economic Area Guangzhou Economic and Technologic Development District. As a member of the polycarbonate sheet family, solid sheet is mainly used in producing optical application plates, machine cover, protection gear, architecture glazing, LED Light Box and other diffusion lighting applications.
The groundbreaking ceremony highlights the commitment of BMS to further its reach to customers in China, especially in South China, where key industrial players are located. This is part of the Bayer’s plan to invest EUR 110 million by 2012 to build five downstream facilities in China.
The market for solid sheets is growing fast in China. In 2011, the market demand for polycarbonate sheets is around 110,000 tons, equally split between multiwall sheets and solid sheets. Multiwall sheet, which is another kind of polycarbonate sheet, is mainly used in construction for roofing and facades.
The solid sheet facility in Guangzhou is expected to start production by the end of 2012 and the capacity will be 12,000 tons, equally split between optical panels and solid sheets. In 2015, the total capacity of this facility will double to reach 24,000 tons. This facility will enable BMS to locally produce high end products cost-effectively for Chinese and overseas markets using world-scale PC-extrusion lines. Moreover, through this downstream facility, BMS will facilitate R & D with customers in this region to provide customerized solutions for them.
BMS, an industry leader of polycarbonate sheets, has already set up a network of sheet facilities in East Asia – one multiwall sheet facility in Beijing and one solid sheet facility in Gimhae, South Korea, serving markets in China, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries. In Asia, the market for polycarbonate sheets is growing at 10% and the increasing demand mainly comes from optical sheets, mass transportation, architectural glazing, diffusion lighting and security applications.
BMS has already enjoyed high reputation in the polycarbonate sheet market in China, thanks to the success of multiwall sheets made in the Beijing facility. The Chinese name “Sunlight Sheet” (yang guang ban) is well recognized in the construction industry and is synomous with high-quality multiwall sheet in China.
About Bayer MaterialScience Beijing
BMS BJ is a sub-company of Bayer MaterialScience. All products of BMS BJ use 100% resin from Bayer MaterialScience. As the mother company, Bayer MaterialScience provides technical support, quality supervision and operation management to BMS BJ. The relocation of the Polycarbonate Business Unit of Bayer MaterialScience to Shanghai assures a stronger support from Bayer MaterialScience to BMS BJ.
