Chemicals supplier Covestro (Taiwan) Ltd (台灣科思創) yesterday said it is to expand production capacity of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) at its plant in Changhua County.

The expansion is expected to boost the plant’s annual TPU capacity from 18,000 tonnes to 23,000 tonnes by next year, Covestro chief executive officer Patrick Thomas told a news conference in Taipei.

TPU, which has high abrasion resistance and great flexibility over a wide range of temperatures, can be used in varied products, including medical devices, footwear, fabrics, home appliances and automotive components, Covestro said.

The facility’s current capacity is not able to satisfy the growing customer need for TPU, Covestro (Taiwan) managing director Michael Lee (李銘城) said.

The Changhua plant manufactures materials for customers in Asia in a wide range of industries, company data showed.

“There is still sufficient room for new production lines [in Changhua] and we have no need to build new factories in Taiwan,” Lee told reporters, adding that the firm has submitted an application to the Changhua County Government.

The Changhua site is Covestro’s largest TPU production base in the Asia-Pacific region. It also runs a TPU research and development (R&D) center for developing high-end materials at the Changhua facility.

Covestro (Taiwan), which began its local chemicals business in 2007, also operates a production base in Kaohsiung for producing polyether polyols.

The company said it has no plans to expand capacity at its Kaohsiung plant, which is its biggest PET production site in Asia.