Sanyo Chemical Strengthens Its Production System for Viscosity Index Improvers Used in Lubricating Oils to Meet Increasing Global Demand
- 2013/03/19 News
Sanyo Chemical has commenced production of its ACLUBE series of viscosity index improvers in the United States in order to meet increasing global demand. These viscosity index improvers are added to lubricating oil to improve fuel efficiency in automobiles and other vehicles.
In the automobile industry there is an increasing need for greater fuel efficiency for the purpose of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Demand for Sanyo Chemical viscosity index improvers for lubricating oil used in automatic transmissions and for lubricating oil used in continuously variable transmissions is increasing. In addition, the fuel efficiency improvement effect of Sanyo Chemical viscosity index improvers is attracting attention, so they are now also being used for engine oil which has a larger market.
To meet this increasing demand, Sanyo Chemical has expanded the production capacity of the Kashima Factory (Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture) twice since 2011 and U.S. subsidiary Sanyo Chemical & Resins, LLC commenced operation of a facility with a production capacity of 4,000 tons/year in February 2013 in order to create multiple production sites in Japan and the United States and strengthen the stable supply system. As a result of these enhancements, viscosity index improver production capacity in the Sanyo Chemical Group has been raised over the past two years from 30,000 tons/year in Japan only to 54,000 tons/year in Japan and the United States combined.