The new pilot facility represents a major step in Trinseo's wider growth strategy for TPEs, enabling it to locally produce custom-engineered TPE and thermoplastic urethanes (TPU)
Trinseo commissions TPE pilot facility in Taiwan. (Credit: Willfried Wende from Pixabay)
Trinseo (TSE), a global materials solutions provider and manufacturer of plastics, latex binders and synthetic rubber, announced today the inauguration of its Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) pilot facility in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The new pilot facility represents a major step in Trinseo’s wider growth strategy for TPEs, enabling it to locally produce custom-engineered TPE and thermoplastic urethanes (TPU), together with its leading bioplastics portfolio, for key customers in the Asia-Pacific region.
The state-of-the-art pilot facility is built at Trinseo’s existing manufacturing site in Hsinchu, and will enable faster innovation cycles in close collaboration with customers for sustainably advantaged materials in the Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Footwear and Medical markets. It complements Trinseo’s existing main TPE development center in Mussolente, Italy, which is leading industry developments in the design and production of sustainable soft-touch plastics.
The new Hsinchu plant has been launched on schedule, despite the challenges associated with constructing a state-of-the-art facility during the global Coronavirus pandemic. Upon its opening, Trinseo celebrated 15,000+ safety hours in a development project that spanned three regions under the most challenging circumstances.
“We are very excited to start up the pilot facility for our custom-engineered TPE and TPU closer to customers in the Asia-Pacific,” said Francesca Reverberi, Vice President, Engineered Materials and Synthetic Rubber, Trinseo. “The pilot plant offers a potential platform through which Trinseo can fulfil increasing demand for TPEs, brought about by megatrends such as the growth in telemedicine and the convergence of medical and consumer electronics. These trends bring a requirement for more user-friendly and sustainable devices with greater use of soft-touch materials and bio-based plastics.”
The pilot plant will play a significant role in helping Trinseo achieve its 2030 Sustainability Goals, which specify that sustainably sourced materials will form the basis of 40% of Trinseo’s portfolio within a decade. Trinseo’s biobased and biodegradable TPE and TPU materials comprise a significant portion of the company’s environmentally friendly portfolio, and the pilot facility is expected to accelerate adoption and development of these solutions.
The Hsinchu plant is already supporting Trinseo’s sustainability aims by compounding best-in-class resins made with post-consumer recycled plastics, used primarily in consumer electronics. Furthermore, the plant will enable Trinseo to continue its evolution into a true solutions provider to customers in Consumer Electronics, Footwear, Medical, Automotive TPE and Appliances & Tools – with a strong focus on sustainability.
Source: Company Press Release