Shanghai, China - Seven major polyurethane industry clusters have emerged across China, according to secretary-general of the China Polyurethane Industry Association (CPUIA) Zhu Changchun.
"It's not something the central government has planned," Zhu told UTECH-polyurethane.com. "The hubs naturally took shape on account of raw material supply and local policies."
The biggest hub is in the Yangtze Delta in cities including Shanghai, Ningbo and Zhangjiagang. MDI and TDI are the main products in the area.
Another large hub is located in the Bohai Bay area, where Wanhua is headquartered, with a focus on MDI. Up north in Jilin province is a smaller hub featuring polyether polyol.
In south China there are two major hubs, one in Quanzhou, Fujian province for TDI and polyols, the other in the Pearl River Delta for PU systems and elastomer.
Western China now boasts two hubs, too, one in Gansu province for TDI, the other in Sichuan province, where part of Huafon's spandex facilities and BASF's MDI facilities are located.
"Other smaller clusters are also emerging in Inner Mongolia and Henan province where there are advanced coal chemical industry, since 80% to 90% of China's propylene epoxides are consumed by the PU industry," said Zhu.
"We expect those smaller hubs to take full shape by the end of China's thirteenth Five Year Plan [2020]," he added.
