Hempel inaugurates new Chinese production facilities to meet coating solution demands

(WO) – Responding to increasing demands for innovative coating solutions, Hempel’s new state-of-the-art production facilities in Zhangjiagang substantially enhance capacity to better serve marine, energy and infrastructure customers.

Three years after announcing plans to invest in two new production facilities in China, Hempel brings the Zhangjiagang site online to begin servicing customers in the region.

The inauguration ceremony included participation from Jiangsu province government officials, representatives from the Danish General Consulate in Shanghai, as well as customers, suppliers and members of Hempel’s senior management.

With the majority of the world’s marine newbuild business located in China, and over 50% of Chinese shipyards located in a 200 km radius around Zhangjiagang, antifouling coatings are in high demand. Shipowners and charterers around the world are in constant pursuit of fuel efficiency, which has resulted in an exponential growth in sales of silicone-based, antifouling coatings like Hempel’s Hempaguard.

The Zhangjiagang factory will gradually increase capacity to reach 100 million liters annually in 2025, with the potential to further increase production to meet future demand.