Nanjing Yangzi Eastman Chemical has started construction on a $29.5-million plant.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Nanjing Yangzi Eastman Chemical Ltd., a 50-50 joint-venture between Yangzi Petrochemical Industrial Corp. and Eastman Chemical Ltd., has started construction on a $29.5-million plant to produce Eastotac hydrocarbon tackifying resin for adhesive manufacturers.

When on-stream by late 2000, the plant, located in the Dachang district of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, will be the first of its kind in China to use proprietary Eastman technology to produce hydrocarbon resin. The facility will use C5 distillate, a byproduct from the manufacture of ethylene, to produce Eastotac, which is used by manufacturers to produce hot melt adhesives.

Don Blair, global business manager for Eastman’s Adhesive & Polymer Raw Materials business, said, “We are very excited about the business opportunities in Asia Pacific and Europe that will be supported by this venture. This additional capacity of Eastotac resin will allow us to continue to grow in our current markets as well as participate in new markets that, up to this point, we have been unable to support.”

Ji Weiqing, deputy general manager of Nanjing Yangzi Eastman Chemical Ltd., said the venture will “meet the need in China for high-quality hydrocarbon tackifying resin, and it will promote the development of a series of new products that can benefit China economically and socially.”