Saint-Priest, France – Vencorex has announced a long term strategy from 2016 with increasing focus on specialty aliphatic isocyanates: hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), derivatives and new products.
The firm says its objective is to strengthen its worldwide position in aliphatic isocyanates which it sells under the Tolonate brand for HDI and the Easaqua brand for IPDI grades.
Vencorex said it will retain Pont De Claix, France, as the production hub for IPDI and HDI with "significantly larger capacity and expansion in new products." A company spokesperson declined to specify the size, cost or time frame for the completion of these projects.
She said the company owners, Perstorp and PTT are "willing to think about a number of options" for the site which will see less emphasis on TDI. It is "a turn in direction" for the site towards a greater share of specialty isocyanate production, she added.
Vencorex recently announced an expansion in Thailand for HDI. That project, which is on track, the spokeswoman said, "is part of the project"
The company added that it will be supplementing the increase in capacity for specialty aliphatic isocyanates with increases to research and development and marketing departments to ensure that it fully benefits from the strategy,