Press Release

This latest Chinese joint venture will further cement their position as Asia's top supplier of Methionine.

Their partner, Dalian Sumika Jingang Chemicals Co. Ltd, is located in Liaoning, China. Plans are in place to construct a new Methionine facility with a production capacity of 20 thousand tons per year, and in the long term, the expansion of these facilities into a large-scale manufacturing plant.

Sumitomo Chemical has already increased its Methionine production capacity at its Ehime Works, and positions the feed additive as one of its core businesses in the area of life sciences. This is based on analysis that predicts the increase of consumption of poultry as more countries adopt meat-intensive diets, coupled with a general increase in the world's population.

In addition, growing public concerns about medium to long-term shortages of livestock feeds or price hike, and also proper management of environmental pollution from nitrogen compounds in livestock excrement has been steadily increasing demand for Methionine in recent years.

It has also long been engaged in its high-performance greenhouse film business, mainly in the Japanese market, capitalising on its unique resin and film processing technology. Because the marked economic development and population increase in China are expected to spur further growth in this market, Sumitomo Chemical will also look to produce high-performance greenhouse films in their new Chinese production facilities.