Expansions: Covestro opens TPU R&D centre in China; Aster moves forward with US$80 mn ethylene expansion project in Singapore

German materials firm Covestro recently officially opened its new Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU) Application Development (AD) Centre in Guangzhou, China. The new centre complements the company’s soon-to-be largest global TPU production site in Zhuhai, which began operations earlier this year, and its existing regional R&D centre in Changhua. Together, the three sites form an integrated network spanning R&D, application development and large-scale manufacturing.

The Asia-Pacific TPU market, particularly in South China, continues to see strong demand from fast-growing sectors such as consumer electronics, automotive and specialty films. The Guangzhou centre, thus, strengthens the company’s ability to translate this demand into tailored material solutions through closer technical collaboration with customers.

“This new Application Development Center represents a strategic cornerstone in our global TPU strategy to grow in high-value and emerging segments in Asia-Pacific,” said Dr. Andrea Maier-Richter, Global Head of TPU at Covestro. “We will explore, pilot and upscale new application fields for TPU in robotics, healthcare and mobility solutions together with our customers – in close collaboration and at the heart of the market.”

The centre is designed to help customers move faster. Its processing simulation lines replicate real production conditions in extrusion and injection moulding, enabling rapid formulation adjustments and material modification. These capabilities help reduce trial cycles, shorten time-to-market, and deliver solutions tailored to specific application needs.

A distinctive feature is its multi-business setup, with Engineering Plastics (EP) and Specialty Films (SF) teams co-located on the same site, enabling close collaboration and faster integration of capabilities. The EP unit brings compounding expertise and colour competence, supporting in-house colour matching for applications such as consumer electronics, footwear and paint protection films (PPF).

The SF unit enables pilot production and finished product commissioning for high-performance films and other extrusion-based applications.

Meanwhile in other news, Aster Chemicals & Energy has announced the final investment decision (FID) on an US$80 million expansion project at its Ethylene Cracker Complex on Bukom Island in Singapore. The project aims to double the facility’s ethylene (C2) export capacity by 2027 to reinforce Singapore’s role in the regional petrochemical supply network.

Engineering and construction contracts have been awarded to various partners, with Toyo Engineering and UTOC Engineering playing major roles.

These contracts involve detailed engineering, procurement and construction for a new ethylene chiller system and the expansion of export logistics at Bukom.

The integration between Bukom and the Chandra Asri plant in Cilegon is expected to strengthen the end-to-end ethylene derivatives value chain.

Aster projects and technology director Mashhad Dohadwala said: “Awarding these contracts moves us firmly into the delivery phase of our vision to build greater ethylene export capacity, stronger supply reliability and deeper integration across our value chain. As demand for ethylene grows in Asia, Singapore’s ability to serve as a dependable, high-capacity export origin matters – commercially for our customers, and strategically for Singapore within the global energy and chemicals network. Toyo and UTOC are the right partners to help us realise that.”

Toyo Engineering has experience in engineering and constructing hydrocarbon processing facilities throughout Asia, with a notable history in complex refining and petrochemical projects.

UTOC Engineering, based in Singapore, specialises in industrial plant construction.

Aster’s Bukom site features a 237,000 barrels-per-day refinery and a 1.1 million tonnes/year ethylene cracker, and forms part of Singapore’s petrochemical hub along with Jurong Island.

The infrastructure is expected to double Bukom's ethylene export capacity and deepen integration between its Singapore operations and the Chandra Asri cracker facility in Cilegon, Indonesia.

Bukom has been central to Singapore’s petrochemical industry since 1961, hosting the country’s first oil refinery.

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