Sumitomo Bakelite Co has announced the completion of the new plant under construction at the premises of Sumitomo Bakelite (Nantong) Co., Ltd., its subsidiary in China, in order to increase its production capacity for phenolic molding compounds.

The new plant was completed and on March 20, a ceremony was held for the completion of the plant, inviting Wang, deputy director of the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, government officials and construction personnel. The new plant is scheduled to begin mass production in June 2024, as it moves toward its official operation.

Sumitomo Bakelite (Nantong) Co., Ltd. was established in 2007 as a phenolic resins plant in the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone. Since then, the plant has been expanded to include the second and third phases, and now produces phenolic resins as well as phenolic molding compounds, films and sheets and liquid epoxy resin.

In response to China's increasingly stringent safety and environmental regulations, the new plant will implement process automation, process monitoring using AI and IoT, energy efficiency and state-of-the-art environmental protection equipment. The plant will also contribute to the realization of carbon neutrality by producing safe, secure, environmentally friendly and energy-saving products.