Construction of a hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) plant with an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons started on Tuesday in Changzhou of Jiangsu province, targeting the growing demand for advanced synthetic rubber products in China and the world as a whole, according to performance elastomers producer Arlanxeo.

The plant is expected to start production in the third quarter of 2025, and the first phase after opening will give the company a production capacity of 2,500 tons of high-quality rubber annually.

"Arlanxeo's new plant will serve our valued customers in China and around the globe. The demand for advanced synthetic rubber products continues to grow, and we are committed to supporting our customers with a reliable supply of product," said Stephan van Santbrink, CEO of Arlanxeo at the groundbreaking ceremony for the plant on Tuesday.

Situated next to the company's ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) plant in the East China city, the future plant will leverage synergies from Arlanxeo's existing facilities and R&D capabilities.

"We are very grateful to the support from local authorities throughout the planning phase of this project. We are excited to break ground today and move forward to the construction phase of this world-class production facility," said Sun Hong, managing director of Arlanxeo China.

According to Sun, the new plant will strengthen Arlanxeo's ability to meet the growing global demand for advanced synthetic rubber products in emerging applications in new energy, new mobility and other rapidly expanding sectors.

Arlanxeo is a wholly owned subsidiary of energy and chemical producer Saudi Aramco.