Ashland has celebrated the grand opening of its new Natrosol hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) production facility in Nanjing. At $90 million, the new facility represents Ashland’s largest single investment in China and the Asia Pacific region.
This manufacturing plant is located within the Nanjing Chemical Industry Park, a modern, highly integrated chemical manufacturing complex, and it is supported by 115 employees. The celebration was attended by officials from various levels within the Jiangsu provincial and Nanjing municipal governments. More than 300 people, including customers from around the world, suppliers and prominent members of the media gathered with Ashland’s senior management team and plant employees to mark the occasion. Natrosol HEC is a cellulosic polymer used as an additive in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products, including latex paints, paper coatings and personal care items such as shampoos and shower gels. With an initial annual capacity of 10,000 metric tonnes, the plant’s infrastructure is designed for further expansion to meet the increasing market demand across Asia. The facility also includes an applications laboratory and technical training facilities. “Planning for growth within our business takes time. In fact, it was over four years ago when we purchased land in Nanjing,” said John Panichella, president, Ashland Aqualon Functional Ingredients, during the grand opening ceremony. “I am extremely pleased with the design and construction of the facility and particularly proud that we accomplished the design by leveraging internal resources from our other HEC plants. The production facility in Nanjing will be a great addition to our HEC network,” he added.
