Synthomer to build facility

ESSEX, England (July 5)—The Synthomer Europe Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Yule Catto & Co. P.L.C., will build a synthetic latex plant in Kluang, Malaysia, for about $25 million to meet an expanding demand for speciality latex in Southeast Asia. The new facility will be part of Synthomer Sdn. Bhd., a recently created subsidiary, according to Ian Anderson, sales and marketing director. Until now, Synthomer had a representative office in Malaysia. The new plant initially will employ about 30. Synthomer Sdn. Bhd. principally will serve the synthetic latex glove manufacturing industry and other dipped goods businesses in Southeast Asia and initially give the firm an additional 88 million pounds of capacity. Other end-use Asian markets the operation likely will service include construction, adhesives, nonwoven fabrics and textile printing, a spokesman said. The company hopes to complete construction of the new site in late 2001 and begin production in January 2002, he said. It will be located next to an established Yule Catto factory, which employs about 400 and has annual revenue of about $60 million, in Kluang.