As part of a continuous upgrade of its Malaysian subsidiary, Germany-based global additives manufacturer Baerlocher (Unterschließheim; www.baerlocher.com) has added a new 10,000 t/y production line for metal stearates, a new warehouse and an office facility at its Seremban site. With the investment of more than USD 10m, Sethu Palaniappan, managing director of Baerlocher Malaysia, said the company – which supplies the ASEAN markets as well as Australia, Japan, the Middle East and South Korea – is preparing for further growth in the region.

The site south of Kuala Lumpur that started up in 1994 as Baerlocher’s first investment in the Asia-Pacific region produces PVC stabilisers and additives for polyolefins, along with zinc and calcium stearates. The Malaysian offshoot claims to be one of Asia’s leading suppliers of stabilisers and additives for the plastics industry. In the PVC sector, the focus is on helping manufacturers of pipes, cables and window profiles transition from traditional to calcium-based stabilisers. Regional customers for metal stearates are the petrochemical and rubber industries as well as downstream masterbatchers, compounders and the construction sector.

Earlier this year, Baerlocher announced plans to double capacity of its Mumbai-based Indian subsidiary at Dewas, near Indore in the state of Madhya Pradesh, at a cost of USD 30m up to 2021. The first phase of the expansion is due to be completed in mid-2019 – see Plasteurope.com of 11.02.2019.