GE Plastics to boost production  By Hu Yuanyuan (China Daily)  Updated: 2006-05-09 09:01  
GE plastics, a global supplier of plastic resins and an arm of the General 
Electric Company, is expanding its production lines in China to achieve double 
digit growth for this year, a senior company official said.
  "We will 
further expand our Nansha compounding plant in South China's Guangdong Province 
this year, aiming to triple the plant's production capacity based on that of 
2004," Alan Leung, president of GE Plastics Pacific, told China Daily in an 
exclusive interview.
  GE Plastics added eight production lines to its 
Nansha plant last year and is expected to add another eight lines this 
year.
  With sales revenue exceeding 1 billion yuan (US$125 million) in 
China last year, GE Plastics has two compounding plants in Guangdong and 
Shanghai and a specialty film and sheet facility in Guangdong.
  "We are 
trying to place our plants in places that are closest to our customers," said 
Leung. "A decade ago, most of our customers were from Pearl River Delta cities 
such as Zhuhai and Shenzhen. And now we see the second round of the boom in 
Shanghai and Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province."
  Early reports said 
that GE Plastics would open a new plant in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, to meet 
increasing demand.
   Leung also disclosed that GE Plastics are 
considering tapping into China's western and northeast regions where there is a 
comparatively low labour cost and less fierce competition.
  Leung believes 
GE Plastics' strong research and development  capabilities give it an edge 
over competitors.
  In 2003, GE Plastics opened the US$64 million China 
Technology Centre in Shanghai, one of its four global research and development 
facilities.
  GE Plastics recently supplied materials for the Shanghai 
South Railway Station roofing project, one of the largest single orders of Lexan 
sheet ever received by the business.
  The roof, the largest round roof of 
its kind in the world, protects and illuminates the main interchange for 
passengers and trains. More than 25 metric tons of Lexan multiwall sheet were 
used to construct the six 360-metre-long, parallel roof sections.
  The 
company's products are used in a wide range of industries such as building and 
construction, aerospace and transportation and electronics. "We will make more 
effort to explore the healthcare, automotive and building sectors, all in their 
nascent stage but boasting huge potential," Leung explained.
  Although 
soaring crude oil prices have squeezed the profit margin of the plastics 
industry, Leung is optimistic about the future of the petroleum-based sector 
given the fast- growing economy.   (For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)    |