Russian petrochemicals group Sibur plans to expand its production of styrene-butadiene thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) at its plant in Voronezh, in south western Russia.The group, which is the country’s only TPE manufacturer, intends to more than double the capacity of its 35,000 tpa TPE plant to 85,000 tpa by 2012. That involves the installation of a new plant with a 50,000 tpa capacity.
Sibur subsidiary Voronezhsintezkauchuk, in partnership with another group affiliate, Rustep, is set to begin the construction of additional production and warehousing facilities for the project this year.
The TPEs will be used for applications including road construction, roofing materials, mastics, adhesives and sealants.
Voronezhsintezkauchuk’s main production is synthetic rubbers, obtained by the use of different polymerisation methods, which are aimed at uses in industries including automotive, aviation and in bicycle tyre production.
The Sibur offshoot is Russia’s top manufacturer of commercial latexes. The company produces styrene-butadiene, polybutadiene and polystyrene latexes in 18 different brands. Overall, its products are sold into the domestic market and abroad. Exports account for around 50% of its output with shipments around the world to markets in Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and Finland; in Asian countries primarily China, Taiwan and Indonesia and to America.
