Chemical company BorsodChem has opened a new TDI plant in Hungary, making it Europe's leading Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) manufacturer. The plant has a capacity of 160 kilotons per year, with the potential to increase to 200 kilotons depending on demand. BorsodChem invested over €200m ($235m) in the facility, which uses state-of-the-art technology and is more efficient than its existing plant. The company expects full utilisation of the new plant at a later stage due to the current market environment. The opening ceremony was attended by Hungarian government officials, Chinese ambassador Gao Jian and BorsodChem's CEO Wolfgang Büchele.
BorsodChem Zrt, (BorsodChem) has today officially inaugurated its new TDI plant at its site in Kazincbarcika in North-East Hungary. The new facility, which is now in commercial operation, has a capacity of 160 kilotons / year. This positions BorsodChem as Europe’s leading Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) manufacturer. TDI is used in the manufacturing of flexible polyurethane foams for upholstery, mattresses and automotive seats. Smaller uses for TDI include polyurethane elastomers and coatings.
BorsodChem invested more than EUR 200 million in the construction of the new facility. The new plant has an annual nameplate capacity of 160 kilotons, which can be increased by another 40 kilotons to 200 kilotons / year depending on future demand. The facility, which utilises BorsodChem’s proprietary state-of-the-art technology, operates considerably more efficiently than the existing TDI-1 plant. Due to the current unfavourable market environment, full utilization of the new facility is only expected at a later stage.
“The Hungarian Government is pleased with this significant capacity expansion that Chinese Wanhua Industrial Group has made in BorsodChem, a well-established chemical company.” – said János Fónagy, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry for National Development of Hungary at the opening ceremony of the plant, and he added: “This significant development at BorsodChem, the company representing the largest Chinese investment so far in Hungary, exemplifies the development of Chinese-Hungarian business relations and it is in concert with the Chinese-Hungarian cooperation aiming to improve Hungary’s competitiveness.” This important event was also attended, among others, by H. E. Gao Jian, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Hungary, several local dignitaries, as well as suppliers and customers of the company.
“The opening of the TDI-2 plant is a major milestone for BorsodChem in becoming the leading supplier of TDI in the European market and an important step for Wanhua in the implementation of its ambitious global growth strategy.” – said Jason Ding, Chief Executive Officer of Wanhua Industrial Group and Chairman of the Board of BorsodChem.
“We are very proud of the new facility, which substantially improves production efficiency and contributes to the overall competitiveness of the company. I am sure our customers will appreciate enhanced product quality and reliability of supply. I would like to thank all who diligently worked on the construction of the plant, including contractors, suppliers and BorsodChem’s own employees.” – Wolfgang Büchele, CEO of BorsodChem added.