IRVING, Texas—ExxonMobil Corp. has launched construction of two specialty polymer facilities at its Singapore chemical site in Singapore.
The company broke ground Oct. 21 on the new halobutyl rubber and hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin production units at its Singapore chemical plant, located on Jurong Island, just 10 months after it completed a major petrochemical expansion in Singapore.
Work is expected to be completed in 2017 and will add another 140 new jobs to the existing work force of more than 2,000 at the integrated production complex, a spokeswoman said.
Irving-headquartered ExxonMobil, which has operated in Singapore for over 120 years, will boost its production capacity of halobutyl rubber capacity by 140,000 tons annually with the additional unit. The company is a major supplier of the rubber to the global tire industry.
The hydrogenated hydrocarbon resin unit will be the world's largest, the firm said, with a capacity of 90,000 tons per year. It will help meet long-term demand for hot melt adhesives, it said.
ExxonMobil's expanded steam cracking capability at the site “provides a platform for growth through a wide range of petrochemical building blocks that can be further upgraded to specialty products, such as halobutyl rubber and adhesive resins,” according to Neil Chapman, senior vice president of ExxonMobil Chemical Co.