Mitsui Chemicals to build world's first large scale XDI plant

Mitsui Chemicals President & CEO Toshikazu Tanaka announced that the company will take further its competitive edge in the global market for ophthalmic lens monomers and coatings & engineering materials with the construction of the world’s first large scale plant for xylylene diisocyanate (XDI) within its Omuta Works (Kyushu, Japan). This new development is one of several measures Mitsui Chemicals has undertaken in recent years to restructure its business and product portfolio.

The production facility, which will produce 5,000 tonnes annually of XDI is targeted to start commercial operation in October 2015. XDI is a functional material made with proprietary technology and offered only by the Mitsui Chemicals Group. Extensively used in coatings & engineering materials, it is widely used in products requiring safety and durability such as adhesives for food packaging, in special inks and coating materials such as those used in solar cells and smartphones, and in high durability building sealants and highly safe microcapsules. Additional demand is also expected by product shifts from different materials.

XDI is also used in the company’s world leading high refractive index ophthalmic lens monomers, sold under the brand name MRTM Lens, which allow processing and design freedom, and have superior durability, clarity, impact resistance, and thinness. The new plant will also provide solutions to QOL needs for improved and more comfortable eyewear around the world.

With the establishment of its new XDI plant, Mitsui Chemicals will aggressively expand its global business and strengthen its world class competitive position for its ophthalmic lens monomers operations and coatings & engineering materials operations.