Sep 30 2010
Cabot Corporation (NYSE: CBT) and China National Bluestar (Group) Corporation today broke ground on the expansion of their world-class fumed silica manufacturing facility in Jiangxi Province, China. The $43 million investment is a project of Cabot Bluestar Chemical (Jiangxi) Co. Ltd., a joint venture between subsidiaries of Cabot Corporation and China National Bluestar (Group) Corporation.
The expansion will leverage Cabot's highly advanced manufacturing technology and position the Jiangxi site with the potential to produce up to 20,000 metric tons of fumed silica annually. In the first phase of this expansion, capacity will increase from 5,000 metric tons to 15,000 metric tons with commissioning expected in the second half of calendar year 2011.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr. Sean Keohane, Vice President and General Manager of the Performance Segment for Cabot Corporation, said, "Cabot is pleased with the opportunity that this expansion presents to strengthen our global fumed silica business. We are confident that this expansion will extend our ability to serve as a reliable source of high quality fumed silica and meet the rapidly growing demand of Bluestar and our other customers in the region. The Bluestar Group has been a valued partner of Cabot in China since 2004 and this investment reinforces the strength of our long-term relationship."
Mr. Xinsheng Zhang, President of Cabot (China) Limited, said, "We are pleased to be here with the support of the governments of China and the Jiangxi Province. Working together with Bluestar, our highly skilled local workforce and the continued support of local officials in China, we are committed to expanding the supply of high quality fumed silica products from this state of the art facility."
Mr. Ren Jianxin, Bluestar founder and President of its parent company ChemChina said, "This project builds on a very successful long-standing partnership between Bluestar and Cabot. The expansion will supply silica for Bluestar's downstream business under construction in the Xinhou Chemical Park while at the same time serving as an important investment in resource optimization and material recycling. The expanded plant integrates operations between Bluestar and Cabot to produce high-performance fumed silica and silicone monomer."