XIANGYANG, China—China's largest polyurethane adhesives maker Huitian New Materials expects to have full operation of its 10 kilotons per year single-component adhesives facility by the end of 2016.
Located at Huitian's manufacturing site in Xiangyang, the project started in April 2015 and received a $6.2 million investment. It had a successful trial run in December and has been running orders, with 30 percent capacity in operation currently.
The new facility is said to be the world's first fully automatic single-component PU adhesives line.
“Compared with existing facilities, the new line runs at a faster speed and only needs two or three employees to monitor it in the control room,” Huitian Board Secretary Zhang Hongjian said.
Adhesives made here also have better performance in fineness, thixotropy and extrusion pressure compared with similar imported products, according to the company.
Last year Huitian saw a 16 percent jump in revenue to $150.5 million thanks to its further expansion into higher end adhesives for sectors such as auto windscreen, flexible packaging and wastewater treatment, said the company's preliminary 2015 annual results released in February.
Costs related to new product development and the construction of new facilities has caused a 24 percent drop in net profit to $12.8 million.