Cetex Petrochemicals unveils expansion plans

摘要

Cetex Petrochemicals, which was acquired by Wayne Burt Capital, a private equity Fund, is expanding its product range and capacity at a cost of Rs. 400-crore. Mr. T.G.S. Mahesh, Chairman, Wayne Burt Group, informed that Cetex - the only manufacturer of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and secondary butyl alcohol (SBA) in South-East Asia - has doubled its production capacity to 20,000 tonnes a year. It will also widen its product base of petrochemicals with a modern 50,000-tonne-a-year plant it has acquired from Shell Chemicals, Houston. The plant is being shifted from the US to Chennai. It will start manufacturing methyl iso butyl ketone and methyl iso butyl carbinol from August 2016. Cetex's products are used in a wide range of applications including lubricants, fuel additives, paints, printing inks, adhesives and coatings. Mr. S. Ilanahai, Managing Director, Cetex, said the company is also targeting the export markets. It has tied up with Chevron Oronite, Singapore and US, Mitsui and Sojitz of Japan to market its products. Further expansions of MEK and SBA are in the pipeline as demand continues to exceed supply in the domestic market.