The Weekly News Update is a weekly roundup of business news from around the Asia-Pacific region, covering Fusion Consulting's core industry practices: chemicals, consumer & retail, financial services, industrial & logistics, information & communication technology, life science and media & leisure. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.    Major chemical company expansion in Asia-Pacific   Rohm & Haas has been named the most vigorous chemical company in  Asia-Pacific in the latest Asia-Pacific Chemical Business Vitality Index report,  out-competing its chemical and energy sector peers with a winning combination of  regional presence, revenue performance and innovation. Request your free copy  here.

Chemical

China - Kemira expands its production of water treatment chemicals Source: Chemie, 15 April 2008 Kemira will multiply its production capacity in water treatment chemicals in central China. It will invest in a new production line for the manufacturing of polyaluminium chloride, with a capacity of 20,000 tons per year. The company's current annual capacity for production of this chemical at the Chongqing plant is 6,000 tons. The expanded production line will be ready for use in the first quarter of 2009.    Kemira Water Solutions (Chongqing) serves mainly the water treatment needs of the Chongqing autonomous area in terms of both drinking water and industrial wastewater. The new investment allows for an expansion of the customer base in both the Chongqing area and the neighboring Sichuan province. China - Sinopec, Mitsubishi Chemical to form resin JV Source: Sinocast China Business Daily News, 10 April 2008 Japan-based Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation will set up a Beijing joint venture with Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation (MEP) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation. The new venture is expected to produce 150,000 tons of bisphenol A (BPA) and 60,000 tons of polycarbonate resin a year. Polycarbonate resin is used to make CD-ROM and auto parts and BPA is an important raw material for the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate resins. The production of each ton epoxy resin would need about 750 kilograms BPA. China, the No. 1 epoxy resin producer and consumer worldwide since 2006, made around 720,000 tons in 2007, and used around 400,000 tons imported and about 100,000 tons home-made BPA in the production. Japan - Daiso to Up Epichlorohydrin capacity to 100,000 ton/year Source: Japan Chemical Week, 10 April 2008 Daiso plans to almost double its output capacity for epichlorohydrin, thus establishing a 100,000 ton/year production setup. The company is also studying the possibility of overseas production as well as a new process technology that uses glycerin instead of propylene as feedstock. Demand for epichlorohydrin has been expanding steadily, especially for use in epoxy resins and in overseas markets such as China and India. To accommodate rising demand, Daiso intends to boost its capacity by 15,000 ton/year to 70,000 ton/year within the next three years. It proposes to do this by eliminating bottlenecks either at the Mizushima or Matsuyama plant, and has allocated capital investment of Y1-2 billion (US$10-20 million) to the project. View an example of our experience in this industry. Back to list of articles. Visit our website to sign up for free intelligence on Asian markets.

This Weekly News Update is a free newsletter, providing a round-up of the week's Asia-Pacific news from our core industry practices. If you have colleagues or friends who may be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them and copy knowledge@fusionc.com.

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