Cariflex to Double its Polyisoprene Latex Capacity at the Paulinia Facility in Brazil

– Cariflex Board of Directors approved the approximate $50 million capital project in April 2020
– The new plant is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2021

Singapore, July 17, 2020: Cariflex PTE. Ltd. (Cariflex) today announced that it will be constructing a new large-scale polyisoprene latex plant at its Paulinia, Brazil, facility to meet the strong market demand from its medical and consumer product customers.

“Cariflex is excited to be making a sizeable investment in the growth of the polyisoprene latex business. Cariflex polyisoprene latex is a unique synthetic alternative to natural rubber latex for dipped goods and various specialty products. With the current strong demand for medical protective equipment such as surgical gloves, we recognize our customers’ needs to have more material available,” said Philippe Henderson, Cariflex Sales & Marketing leader.

With Cariflex’s increased production capacity and unmatched global service network, its customers can be assured of secure supplies anywhere in the world. Following the addition of this polyisoprene latex unit, the new resulting capacity in Paulinia, Brazil, combined with the existing capacity in Himeji, Japan, will strengthen Cariflex’s position as the global leader of polyisoprene latex with unmatched quality and supply diversity. Customers will benefit from Cariflex IR0401 latex volumes sourced from four distinct production lines.

The addition of this new production line is replicating the technology of the current fully utilized unit and will double the polyisoprene latex capacity of the site.

Daelim Industrial Co., Ltd named Prakash Kolluri as Chief Executive Officer of Cariflex Pte Ltd, for the global business. Sean Kim, Chief Executive Officer for Daelim Industrial Co., Ltd, said, “We are delighted to have appointed Mr. Prakash Kolluri who is a huge asset to the company. We are confident Prakash will move Cariflex Pte Ltd forward and bring a wealth of experience which will be extremely valuable in driving our future growth globally.”

“Our strategic decision of capacity expansion, in support of organic growth, separates us from competition. Our industry-leading polyisoprene latex capacity acts as a catalyst for our valued customer base to make inroads in new geographies. Cariflex is strategically positioned and has a bright future serving medical and other high-value markets,” Prakash Kolluri, Chief Executive Officer mentioned.

Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)