Ticona builds new offices in Japan, eyeing automotive industry

Ticona Japan, a business of Celanese Corporation, announced on May 21 that it will sell for the first time in Japan both Celcon and Hostaform acetal copolymer (POM) along with other Ticona brands of high-performance thermoplastics.

"Since the move to our new offices in Tokyo is complete, our team is well positioned to sell our complete line of products to customers in Japan, except Fortron polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)," said Koji Ito, Japan Country Director of Ticona. "Now, customers can purchase Ticona engineering polymers in Japan directly, as well as globally."

According to Ticona, the Tokyo offices also offer customers in Japan full-time service for molding trials and application design and development, as well as access to the Ticona global design and computer-aided engineering, processing and troubleshooting part finishing and testing facilities in Shanghai, China, and Florence, the US, and Sulzbach, Germany.

"In Japan and the rest of Asia, Ticona is strategically positioning itself to deliver the right material to meet our customer application requirements and the right people to deliver the best solution fast," said Mr Ito. "Our global reach, extensive product offering, and engineering and science capabilities enable us to work with our customers in Japan and Asia at any stage in their process - be it at early concept or in full production."

Ticona is participating at the 2012 Automotive Engineering Exhibition in Yokohama currently running until May 25, exhibiting material, design and technical resources that can help automotive customers achieve their goals in the use of engineering resins.

The list of exhibits include automotive parts such as instrument panels, door handles, battery trays and fuel sending units made from polymers of Ticona:

Celcon/Hostaform POM - resistance to wear, long-term fatigue, toughness, creep, moisture, solvents and strong alkalis

Celanex thermoplastic polyester (PBT) - high strength, rigidity and toughness, low creep even at high temperatures and resistance to a wide range of chemicals, solvents, oils and greases

Celstran/Compel/Factor long fiber reinforced thermoplastics (LFRT) - good mechanical properties, impact and creep resistance, and low warpage for metal replacement applications

Celstran continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFR-TP) - unidirectional tapes, rods and profiles provide high levels of stiffness and toughness, high-performance dimensional, mechanical and thermal properties, and superior chemical and corrosion resistance

GUR ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) - good abrasion resistance, superior impact resistance, non-sticking and self-lubricating properties and fine mechanical properties, even in cryogenic conditions

Impet thermoplastic polyester (PET) - good physical properties and superior thermal and chemical resistance, with the ability to support higher temperature exposure

Riteflex thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPC-ET) - combining the favorable characteristics of vulcanized rubber with the easy processability of thermoplastics for toughness, tear and flex fatigue resistance over a wide temperature range

Vandar thermoplastic polyester alloy (PBT) - combines the seemingly contradictory properties of high ductility and good stiffness with good chemical and thermal resistance of polyester

Vectra/Zenite liquid crystal polymer (LCP) - exceptional precise and stable dimensions, high-temperature performance and chemical resistance in very thin-walled applications

Thermx polycyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate (PCT) - superior performance and value through improved heat resistance, fast molding cycles and easy processability