Cabot, a US chemicals and performance materials company, has opened its new fumed silica manufacturing facility in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia to meet the growing demand for fumed silica in China.

The Wuhai fumed silica production facility is a joint venture between Cabot with an 80% equity interest and Inner Mongolia Hengyecheng Silicone (HYC) with 20% stake.

The new fumed silica manufacturing facility with annual production capacity of approximately 8,000 metric tons of fumed silica will consolidate Cabot’s position in the Chinese fumed metal oxides market.

Jay Doubman – senior vice president and president, Performance Additives, Cabot said: “This strategic expansion of our fumed silica manufacturing capabilities will allow us to better reach our customers in a part of China where we expect to see significant growth and development in the coming years.

“We look forward to pioneering innovative new solutions in fumed silicas by pairing our new world class Wuhai manufacturing facility with the technical expertise at our Asia Technology Center in Shanghai to help our customers drive toward a more sustainable future.”

Cabot brings fumed silica manufacturing technology while HYC provides feedstock and operates in a closed-loop fashion with Cabot to reduce byproduct streams and eliminate waste.

Sean Keohane – president and CEO, Cabot said: “The grand opening of this facility is a key milestone in executing on our ‘Advancing the Core’ strategy.”

The fumed silica manufacturing facility is said to complete the RC14001 certification process in the near future.

Cabot with more than 30 years of operations in China currently operates production plants in Jiangxi, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Xingtai as well as its Asia Technology Center in Shanghai. The specialty chemicals and performance materials company provides rubber and specialty carbons, activated carbon, inkjet colorants, masterbatches, and conductive compounds, fumed silica and aerogel.

  Cabot, Inner Mongolia, Jay Doubman, Mongolia, Sean Keohane, Wuhai