Wedoany.com Report on Feb 7th, Synthetic rubber producer ARLANXEO continues to increase its investment in the Chinese market to seize development opportunities arising from new energy, new mobility, and urbanization processes. On February 4th, the company held an inauguration ceremony for its newly built Hydrogenated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (HNBR) plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, with a total investment of $210 million.
The first phase of this HNBR plant has an annual production capacity of 2,500 tons and commenced operations in October 2025. Company management revealed that future capacity is expected to double. Compared to traditional elastomers, HNBR offers superior performance in terms of temperature resistance, pressure resistance, and corrosion resistance.
ARLANXEO stated in its announcement: "The new plant will enhance our production footprint in the HNBR field, strengthen our capability to provide high-quality elastomer solutions for customers in China and the Asia-Pacific region, and simultaneously meet the growing demand for advanced rubber materials in strategic areas such as new energy and new mobility."
Since entering the Chinese market in 2016, ARLANXEO's cumulative investment in China has approached $1 billion, with approximately 90% concentrated in Changzhou. In addition to the HNBR plant, the Changzhou base also houses an Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) production facility and a regional technology center for Asia. This technology center has undergone two upgrades and is currently undergoing a new round of renovation, expected to be completed within the year.
In Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, ARLANXEO operates a Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) production project in a joint venture with TSRC. Sun Hong, Managing Director of ARLANXEO China, stated: "This demonstrates our long-term commitment to the Chinese market and our 'local for local' development strategy." He added, "China is a significant growth driver for the company, offering sustained and stable development opportunities for the rubber industry."
Sun Hong introduced that Changzhou has established a well-developed industrial chain system, with the new energy industry scale reaching 1 trillion yuan. The local area is actively nurturing emerging industries such as new energy storage and advanced materials, creating vast opportunities for upstream material suppliers.
Cheng Baojia, Head of Technical Services and Partnering Asia at ARLANXEO, pointed out: "Localized production and innovation enable us to understand customer needs more promptly and respond quickly to market changes. The product grades produced at this HNBR plant are primarily determined based on the actual needs of local customers."
In addition to the Changzhou plant, ARLANXEO also operates HNBR production bases in Orange County, Texas, USA, and Leverkusen, Germany. The company stated that it has become the world's only synthetic rubber supplier with HNBR production facilities in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
