Clariant announced on Wednesday the opening of its new CATOFIN catalyst production site in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, adding on to the nearby catalyst plants in Jinshan and catalyst R&D center in Shanghai to further facilitate the company's expanding footprint in China.

"This investment is part of our strategy to strengthen our regional footprint and increase the share of local production in China with leading catalysts technology in a strongly growing segment" said Jens Cuntze, President of Clariant Catalysts & Asia Pacific.

CATOFIN is a catalyst for propane dehydrogenation (PDH) that is used in the production of olefins such as propylene.

With an investment of $88 million, the site was completed within 18 months from its ground-breaking in September 2020 and become operational last year.

"The successful completion of the plant offers more production capacity for the high-value catalyst in a market that's seeing rapidly increasing demand. The increased production capabilities of the plant positions us to meet the demands of the region while simultaneously ensuring more proximity to a strategically important customer base," said Jace Wang, Head of Propylene at Clariant Catalysts.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn