Bio-polyols joint venture inaugurated in India

VCP was initially established as a joint venture of Mitsui Chemicals prior to the merging of its polyurethanes business with that of SKC. VCP's manufacturing plant will allow the company to supply highly cost competitive bio-polyol to systems houses throughout the Asian region and beyond. The MCNS systems house network is comprised of nine Asian sites, including those in Japan and South Korea, and three sites in the Americas and Europe.

VCP aims to manufacture and sell bio-polyol using Indian castor oil from non-edible plants as a main raw material. 80% of the world's castor oil is produced in India.

MCNS manufactures and sells urethane materials for wide applications including refrigerator insulation materials. In the automotive field, not only is MCNS the largest supplier of polyurethane materials for interior use to Japanese and Korean makers, it is the only manufacturer in the world to commercially supply bio-polyols derived from non-edible plants.

MCNS aims to expand sales in automotive applications by capitalizing on its strong system house network. With the commencement of commercial operations at VCP, it will now be possible to supply bio-polyol at costs competitive to fossil fuel-derived polyols.