(Harbin) announced plans to establish a new research center to provide technical support of existing products and research and development capabilities for new modified plastics. Located in Harbin Economic and Technology Development District, China XD says the center will be fully operational in early 2011. The company will hire new R&D personnel, add equipment, and expand the facility's infrastructure. China XD also hopes to satisfy State Level Engineering Technical Research Center standards. Existing R&D staff and equipment will be relocated to the new center, and once the new research center is completed, the existing Harbin Xinda Macromolecule Material Research Institute, which is not qualified, will be shuttered.
In January 2009, the company announced that it had added seven new production lines, bringing its total to 19, with an annual production capacity of 70,000 tons. The company's growth has been rapid, with its first two production lines installed in January 2005 when its annual production capacity was 7000 tons. China XD Plastics was created in September 2004. Approximately 90% of the company's materials are used in automotive applications, including exterior and interior trims, and other functional components, with use in 30 automobile brands manufactured in China. The company's 137 compounds are divided into six major categories: modified polypropylene, modified acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), modified nylon, alloy plastics, environmentally friendly plastics, and engineering plastics. —[email protected]