South Korean chemical producer Songwon (Ulsan; www.songwon.com) is expanding production at Ulsan for its “Songsorb” CS 400 UV stabilisers and other products sold for coating various types of surfaces, including automotive parts. The new back-integrated 1,000 t/y capacity allows in-house production at all stages from intermediate to finished products, the company said. The liquid hydroxyphenyl triazine (HPT) UV absorber is designed to ensure high performance and durability in water- and solvent-borne as well as solid automotive and industrial finishes.

According to Songwon, the stabiliser has a high thermal stability and outstanding resistance in coatings exposed to high bake cycles and/or extreme external conditions. It is suitable for use in amine and metal catalysed coatings, substrates containing such catalysts and coatings applied on topcoats.

In other news, the Korean chemical producer has entered a long-term strategic agreement to cooperate with Disheng Technology (Hangzhou, Zhejiang / China; www.shinyangchem.com) on production and marketing of some of Songwon’s comprehensive range of UVA light stabilisers. Disheng is currently building a new dedicated production facility for light stabilisers in China’s Fujian province and aims to become one of the largest producers of worldwide.

As part of the collaboration, Disheng will produce a wide range of the Korean partner’s Songsorb and Songsorb CS for plastics and coatings applications. The products will be marketed globally under the Songwon trademark. The deal will improve supply reliability for this product range, thanks to reserved production capacities, Songwon said. The two companies plan to share the development of technology for related products of the future.

“Entering into a partnership with a highly regarded and technically competent company such as Disheng represents a significant step towards realising our strategic plans going forward,” said Songwon CEO Maurizio Butti. The division of labour will make use of both company’s strengths, added Xingping Pan, president of the Disheng group.