Afton Chemical to build new additive plant on Jurong Island, Singapore

Afton Chemical Corp., based in Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A., announced the construction of a new chemical additive manufacturing facility on Jurong Island, Singapore. The multi-year investment, approved by the NewMarket Board on July 17th, will be fully owned and operated by Afton, emphasizing the company’s strong commitment to the expanding Asia-Pacific market. Singapore was selected after an extensive analysis, which focused on facility readiness and flexibility, market access, economics, safety and logistics.
“This represents an investment that is likely to be in excess of US$100 million for Afton Chemical, and another strong commitment by our Board to this key market,” said Warren Huang, Afton president.
“We have established a significant presence through acquisitions and investments, and with the new facility on Jurong Island, we will continue to bring our company’s ‘Passion for Solutions’ to the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Groundbreaking for the plant is scheduled for the third quarter 2013. The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2015. The initial capacity will represent a modest increase in Afton’s overall global production, the company said. The plant will be scalable to allow Afton to grow as demand warrants, it said.
“This strong combination of R&D and manufacturing in the region, will not only improve security of supply and reduce lead-times, but also help us to develop cost-effective, customized solutions for the region. And in turn, that will help our customers improve the profitability of their businesses,” said Huang.
This presence is in addition to Afton’s regional manufacturing in Suzhou, China and Jurong Island, Singapore (operated by Chemical Specialties Singapore (Pte) Ltd.). Afton has technical centers in Tsukuba, Japan and Suzhou, China and sales offices in Tokyo, Japan; Beijing, China; Guangzhou, China; Seoul, South Korea; Sydney, Australia; and Bangkok, Thailand. Afton maintains its regional headquarters in Singapore.