TOKYO, Jul 09, 2008 - Sekisui Chemical Co. (TSE:4204) said Tuesday that it will spend some 10 billion yen (US$93 millioni) to raise its production capacity for plastic film used in automobile windshields 15 per cent by 2009.
The Osaka-based firm aims to lift its share of the global market for interlayer film, which is sandwiched between sheets of glass to prevent shattering, 2 percentage points to 44 per cent by 2010, cementing its dominance of the industry.
Sekisui Chemical currently makes the film at six locations, including at factories in the U.S. and Thailand. The additional investment, which is earmarked for one plant in Japan and one in China, will enable the company to furnish enough material to equip 78 million vehicles a year.