In 2007 Arkema announced the construction of a Kynar PVDF fluorinated polymer production plant on its Changshu site in China, scheduled to come on stream in March 2011. Arkema has now decided to speed up the development of this plant, and announced a 50% production increase effective mid-2012. This investment is intended to help meet the fast-growing demand for PVDF resins in emerging technologies, in particular applications in new energies and water filtration.

The initial plan for the PVDF production plant in Changshu aimed to meet growing demand in the industrial paint market in Asia. From the onset, the capacity of the site, which is fitted with the latest equipment, had been designed to accommodate the long-term growth of Asian customers. The additional production capacity will help meet requirements for PVDF resins from new emerging applications in Asia. The company reports that currently, applications using PVDF polymers are enjoying strong growth in this region, e.g. polymer membranes for drinking water filtration, electrodes for lithium ion batteries, and protective films for the backsheet of photovoltaic panels.