Under pressure from a sluggish Chinese economy and increasing competition from local Chinese producers, Teijin (Tokyo / Japan; www.teijin.com) and DuPont (Wilmington, Delaware / USA; www.dupont.com) have decided to change the ownership structure of their BOPET joint ventures in Japan and Indonesia. Both companies – Teijin DuPont Films Japan and Teijin DuPont Films – are to become wholly owned subsidiaries of Teijin.

The new structure is already in place in Japan, while the change in ownership of the Indonesian facility still requires regulatory approval. Once all is said and done, the units will operate as Teijin Film Solutions (Japan) and Indonesia Teijin Film Solutions. Teijin also said the Japanese operations would be consolidated into its Utsunomiya plant by September 2016, which would enable it to focus on high value-added applications. Specifically, the Japanese group plans to increase the operations’ profitability and competitiveness by utilising other high-performance materials rather than PET. No further details were provided.

DuPont and Teijin first set up their PET film joint venture in 2000 (see Plasteurope.com of 31.01.2000). While the jv’s Asian activities were limited to the two plants now under Teijin’s control, the two companies still run other joint venture plants globally, including in Europe. Their common activities continue to operate under the name DuPont Teijin Films.