Bostik, subsidiary of French oil and gas giant Total and adhesive specialist, inaugurated Bostik’s new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Changshu, China on April 10. The opening ceremony was presided over by Patrick Pouyanné, president refining and chemicals of Total and member of Total’s executive committee, and Bernard Pinatel, chairman and CEO of Bostik.

The Changshu plant, which started up late 2012, manufactures a wide range of products including hot melt adhesives, polyester, polyurethane and sealants. Production is dedicated to industrial markets for disposable hygiene, packaging, transportation and textiles. The plant occupies an area of 70,000 square meters and the eventual annual capacity of products is estimated at 80,000 tons.

“This is a very positive addition to an already strong portfolio of assets for Total in China, especially in specialty chemicals,” said Pouyanné during the opening ceremony. “It reinforces our commitment to supplying the rapidly growing market in the country. As you may know, Total was the first international oil and gas company to undertake offshore exploration in China, in the 1980s, and to participate in a refining joint-venture, in the 1990s. We currently have many successful businesses and partnerships here and employ more than 4,500 staff.”

“Bostik has been present in China for 15 years, where we employ more than 500 people,” added Pinatel during the ceremony. “Today is a historic milestone for Bostik as we are proud to open the Changshu plant, our third one in China, which will soon be our largest manufacturing plant in the world. This state-of-the-art facility, equipped with our latest manufacturing processes, gives us a strong industrial base to offer high-performance solutions to our customers in China, and beyond, to the entire Asian region.”

As part of its global growth strategy, Bostik opened the Asia Technical Center (ATC) in 2011 in Shanghai—one of three R&D technical centers of excellence based on three continents: Asia, Europe and the U.S.—to showcase the latest advances in Bostik technology.

Total and Bostik affirm their ongoing commitment to China and to the fast-growing Asian markets with this significant investment in the region.