DuPont and the city of Dongying, Shandong province in the People's Republic of China (PRC), have begun talks that could lead to construction of a titanium dioxide plant in the city's Economic Development Zone.
 
The increases, which are in addition to all previous pricing adjustments, are in response to the rapid run-up in the cost of raw materials used in the manufacture of industrial coatings due to issues of availability and unprecedented increases in the price of raw material feedstocks, the company said.
 
DuPont teams have visited China and other Asian nations to identify sites suitable for manufacturing. Dongying emerged as the leading candidate site, according to the company. Any commitment to a specific site is contingent on the success of negotiations with local entities, meeting a variety of regulatory requirements and obtaining internal DuPont approvals.
 
"Current and forecast demand for titanium dioxide in Asian markets, especially China, is growing faster than any other region of the world," said Sam Severance, vice president and general manager of DuPont Titanium Technologies. "Our goal is to be strategically positioned as the leading TiO2 supplier in that expansion. We believe that location of a new plant at Dongying would significantly improve our ability to serve our customers in these fast-growing markets while contributing to the continued development of the local economy."