Rohm and Haas Co., a supplier of binders and additives for the global paint and coatings industry, officially launched the initial operations of its new manufacturing plant in Sanshui, Guangdong Province, China. The company has invested $10 million in the site which will make products based on acrylic emulsion technology.
The new plant has more than 20 thousand metric tons of capacity and will produce water-based binders and emulsions used to make consumer paints and coatings. Sanshui also produces polyacrylic acid dispersant products used in detergents and mining applications.
"South China comprises 40% of China's total coatings industry. This huge market potential, along with our global expertise as the world's leading supplier of materials for the paint and coatings industry, brings us here," said Helen Zhang, Greater China General Manager, Rohm and Haas Paint and Coatings Materials.
Rohm and Haas had previously opened a research and development center located in the Shanghai Zhangjiang High-Tech Industrial Zone. The center has over 600 employees, 200 among which are R&D scientists, engineers and technicians.
Last year Rohm and Haas launched its Paint Quality Institute (PQI) in GuangZhou. To date, more than 500 people from the coating industry have attended PQI training courses, with the numbers expected to grow significantly in 2008.