Thailand, historically a tiger economy, seems to be back on a solid growth curve after serious setbacks during the 1997–1998 Asian currency crisis. Now the country continues to make rapid economic and social progress, although recent political turmoil has affected its growth since the last year. Despite the turmoils cursed by the U.S. debts crisis or the situation in the Eurozone, analysts expect Thailand’s GDP to climb by 3,7 percent to a total of US $330 billionin 2011.
Thailand’s industry contributes about 45 percent of the country’s. The largely expoprt driven economy has become a regional center of automobile manufacturing and electronics. Thailand’s chemical industry is expected to profit from this trend: Basic chemicals, plastics and polymers but also the petrochemical industry are well positioned compared to international competitors.
Currently, especially the Thai basic chemicals business depends on foreign know-how since most of the players in this field are subsidiaries of multinational corporations. Most of the feedstocks and raw materials must be imported – therefore, the government funds biotechnical projects that seek for alternatives for oil and coal as fuels or feedstocks for the chemical industry.
Thailand's chemical industry is back on a solid growth curve. Especially the petrochemical industry is seen as a major driving force of the country's economy by the German foreign trades association. Industry experts expect high investment volumes and solid growth rates at the Ma Ta Phut industry area. ...more
Thailand courts foreign investors on this year's Board of Investment (BOI) fair at Bangkok. Stars of this year's exhibition are the country's booming petrochemical industry, producers of polymers and plastics as well as paper manufacturers. Experts see this year's election as an acid test for the country's democracy and stability. ...more
Secutech Thailand, a subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt and IPEX, could recently gain two important government supporters for the upcoming trade fair at Bangkok. ...more
Process Optimisation
UBE chemicals ordered two new recovery boilers from Finnish Metso for a nylon production in Thailand. With this new equipment, the Japanese chemical company hopes to optimise the chemicals ...more
Refinery Revamp Contract
A subsidiary of the Swiss engineering contractor Foster Wheeler recently was chosen to revamp catalytic crackers at production plant of the Thai refinery operator Star Petroleum. ...more
Speciality Films
Chemical giant Dow plans to triple its production capacity of speciality films with two new production sites in Thailand and Germany. ...more
PVC Facility Expansion
To satisfy the growing demand for PVC, especially in the automobile production, Mitsubishi Chemical will expand a PVC compound production facility in Thailand. The plant, operated ...more
