Bio-polyol JV in India to support demand for polyurethanes

Mitsui Chemicals & SKC Polyurethanes Inc. (MCNS) celebrated the official launch of itsjoint venture bio-polyol manufacturing company in India, Vithal Castor Polyols Pvt. Ltd. (VCP). The opening ceremony was held on February 25.  

 

Co-CEOs of MCNS Ki Don Won and Hiroyasu Ishimaru and Jayant Agro-Organics Ltd. Chairman Abhay V. Udeshi addressed the guests at the opening ceremony which included ministers from the South Korean and Japanese missions in India, as well as other important delegates.  

 

VCP was established as a joint venture of Mitsui Chemicals, Itoh Oil Chemical Co., Ltd., and India's Jayant Agro-Organics Ltd. The company will manufacture and sell bio-polyol using Indian castor oil from non-edible plants as a main raw material. Around 80% of the world’s castor oil is supplied by India. VCP’s manufacturing plant in India, which started commercial operations last January, will enable the company to supply cost-competitive bio-polyol, a raw material used in the production of polyurethanes. 

 

 

Mitsui Chemicals integrated its polyurethane business with Korean SKC Co., Ltd. to form MCNS. Mitsui Chemicals investment now falls under MCNS. MCNS manufactures and sells urethane materials for wide applications including refrigerator insulation materials. In the automotive sector, MCNS is not only the biggest supplier of polyurethane materials for interior use to Japanese and Korean car makers, it is also the only manufacturer in the world to commercially supply bio-polyols derived from non-edible plants.

 

With the commercial operations of VCP, it will now be possible to supply cost-competitive  bio-polyol  as against fossil fuel-derived polyol. MCNS aims to further expand sales in automotive applications by tapping its strong system house network comprising of nine Asian sites, including those in Japan and South Korea, and three sites in the Americas and Europe.