Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, July 2 -- ExxonMobil Chemical said it will add 130,000 tonnes/year of capacity to its Exxsol hydrocarbon fluids plant in Jurong Island, Singapore, raising commercial production to more than 500,000 tonnes by yearend 2008.
ExxonMobil said the increased capacity is designed to meet the demand for differentiated hydrocarbon fluid products, which is growing annually at an average rate of 5-6% in Asia Pacific.
The hydrocarbon fluids are used for such uses as drilling mud oil used in oil exploration, metal working, polymer and pharmaceuticals processing, industrial cleaning, adhesives, and coatings.
Asia's increasing demand for the fluids comes from strong industrial growth, accompanied by heightened health, safety, and environmental requirements.
The more-stringent requirements include specifications of the Globally Harmonized System, the international agreement to classify products uniformly, and European legislation known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals).
The firm's fluids portfolio is positioned to meet or exceed such increasingly stringent regulatory and environmental requirements, according to Kittiphong Limsuwannarot, ExxonMobil Chemical's hydrocarbon fluids global marketing manager.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].