US' Ascend to build specialty chemicals plant in Lianyungang, China

Ascend signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2020 during CIIE in Shanghai with Xuwei New Area Park, witnessed by the leaders of Jiangsu Province and Lianyungang. Ascend will begin construction later this year with a plant start-up targeted for the second half of 2023, the company said in a press release.

The announcement of the new site construction follows a series of acquisitions and capacity expansions to enable regional growth and continued global supply security. In 2018, Ascend made its first acquisition in Tilburg, Netherlands, followed by acquisitions in Mozzate, Italy; Suzhou, China; and Fosses, France. Ascend will also complete an acquisition in San Jose Iturbide, Mexico and the construction of Ascend Asia Innovation Centre later this year.

The plant will produce HMD and specialty chemicals to supply Ascend’s global polyamide production and serve its regional customers. Ascend, a fully integrated producer of durable engineered materials, serves a variety of sectors including automotive, paints and coatings, electrical and electronics, consumer goods, and cable ties and fasteners.

“Our growth is driven by increasing market demand and growing collaboration with our customers globally. The materials we produce are helping drive technological transformations across markets, from e-mobility to automation. Our new HMD plant positions us to continue supporting these transformations well into the future,” Phil McDivitt, Ascend’s president and CEO said in a statement.

“China and Asia remain high-growth markets for us. This new plant is a symbol of our growth in the region and the partnerships we have developed. We thank the Xuwei New Area Park administrators and the officials in Lianyungang for their partnership in this project,” Kevin Wu, Ascend’s senior vice president and managing director for Asia said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)