About Us > Plaquemine

Shin-Etsu chose to grow and expand in the United States because of the stable government, stable dollar and ample natural gas.  Louisiana was chosen because of ease of access to export finished resin and caustic, as well as an abundance of land, salt and water in the area.  Louisiana has a reliable workforce available.

In December 2004, Shintech announced plans for an integrated polyvinyl chloride facility in the United States, in order to supply the upstream raw materials needed to support a major PVC production expansion. The manufacturing complex integrated and coordinated production of PVC, from raw materials to chlor-alkali and VCM.

Shintech acquired 7,000 acres of land in Plaquemine, LA, on which to construct the manufacturing site, because of its proximity to Addis PVC production, access to a well-developed railway network, as well as nautical shipping access to the Mississippi River. The geographical location allowed needed raw materials, such as ethylene and salt, to be transported by pipeline from nearby production facilities. The Shintech Plaquemine Plant 1 (SPP1) started operations in 2008.

The second Plaquemine integrated polyvinyl chloride facility construction began in fall of 2008 and was completed mid-year 2011. SPP2 was planned in similar fashion and layout as SPP1, which would effectively double the production capacity of the manufacturing complex. Both SPP1 and SPP2 have since completed two additional expansions to their current production capacity.