Dutch firm to make carbon in RI

JAKARTA (JP): Dutch chemical and pharmaceutical firm Akzo Nobel, through its wholly-owned firm PT Akzo Nobel Satindo, has started building a US$45 million carbon making plant in Cikampek, West Java.

The company said over the weekend the facility would open in January 1999.

The plant would make carbon disulphide, which is used to make viscose textiles, a rapidly expanding sector in the Asia-Pacific, the company said.

Akzo Nobel said the plant would serve increasing demand from rayon yarn producers in Indonesia and Asia.

The plant will have a capacity of 40 kilotons a year.

Carbon disulphide manufacturing is one of Akzo Nobel's core businesses and the company is the global leader in the field.

One of the company's board members, Rudy M.J. van der Meer, said "we have decided to strengthen this position, currently based on production in Europe and North America, with this key strategic investment in Asia.

"This investment, coupled with our earlier announcement of a $50 million investment in an Australian solar salt facility shows a firm strategic commitment from the company to the high growth Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Akzo Nobel said the plant would use natural gas as fuel rather than charcoal from hardwood which would be good for the environment in terms of forestry resources and emissions.

The publicly listed company is one of the world's leading firms in selected areas of health care products, coatings, chemicals and fibers.

Akzo Nobel employs more than 70,000 people worldwide. (icn)