|  | EXXONMOBIL INCREASES BUTYL RUBBER CAPACITY AT KAWASAKI PLANT
| JAPAN, May 20, 2009 – ExxonMobil Chemical’s affiliate ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha (EMYK) announced today that Japan Butyl Co. Ltd. will increase its butyl rubber production capacity by 18,000 tons per year at the Kawasaki Plant. This expansion will increase its capacity to 98,000 tons per year when the project is completed in late 2010.
This expansion will incorporate ExxonMobil’s recent advances in process technology. One such new proprietary technology advancement allows for the butyl polymerization reaction, which normally occurs at -95°C, to operate at -75°C. This new technological advancement will provide significant energy and capital investment savings.
“These advancements are part of ExxonMobil Chemical’s longstanding commitment to the butyl process, product and applications technology development," said Art Sullivan, vice president, Global Butyl Polymers Business Unit, ExxonMobil Chemical Company.
"In addition to these new process technology advancements, we also have begun working with our customers on a new product for tire innerliners, called Exxcore™ DVA resin, which allows for significant tire weight reduction while improving air retention.”
“Recently, we also demonstrated success in our pilot facilities to produce the next generation of butyl rubber utilizing nanocomposite technology. Using this latest innovation at our facilities will reduce the amount of material our customers require for existing applications, effectively doubling the volume of tire innerliner applications that ExxonMobil could serve from each plant.”
Market testing is expected to commence in 2010. Each of these efforts is aimed at supporting the high growth of the butyl rubber segment.
ExxonMobil Chemical is an industry leader in the development and application of premium products that add value through enhanced product performance, energy efficiency, pollution prevention and greenhouse gas emission reduction. Continuing to address the growth needs of the butyl rubber industry, the Japan Butyl Co. Ltd. expansion is the latest of several recent company expansions to serve the growing butyl market.
In 2008, ExxonMobil expanded halobutyl capacity at its Baytown, TX plant by 60 percent. This was preceded by the 2006 expansion of Japan Butyl Co., Ltd.’s halobutyl capacity at its Kashima plant by 17,000 tons per year.
About Japan Butyl Co., Ltd.
Japan Butyl Co., Ltd., a butyl rubber manufacturing company, is a joint venture of ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha and JSR Kabushiki Kaisha. The company serves as a supply base for butyl rubber primarily in Asia. ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha holds a 50 percent stake in Japan Butyl Co., Ltd.
About ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha and the ExxonMobil Japan Group
The ExxonMobil Japan Group comprises ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha and its related companies and subsidiaries including TonenGeneral Sekiyu Kabushiki Kaisha, and is a major manufacturer and marketer in Japan of petroleum fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals. Elements of the Group began operations in Japan in 1893. ExxonMobil Yugen Kaisha is a 100% indirect subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation of the U.S. TonenGeneral Sekiyu Kabushiki Kaisha is listed on the 1st Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, see our web sites at www.exxonmobil.jp/ ; www.tonengeneral.co.jp
About ExxonMobil Chemical
ExxonMobil Chemical is one of the world’s premier petrochemical companies with manufacturing, technology, and marketing operations around the world. The company delivers a broad portfolio of products and solutions efficiently and responsibly, with a commitment to create outstanding customer and shareholder value. ExxonMobil Chemical endorses the principles of sustainable development, including the need to balance economic growth, social development and environmental considerations. To learn more, visit www.exxonmobilchemical.com.
About ExxonMobil Butyl Polymers
ExxonMobil Chemical Butyl Polymers business is the world’s leader in butyl technology, services and products, with more than 65 years of butyl rubber experience. To find out more about ExxonMobil Chemical Butyl Polymers, visit www.butylrubber.com.
Editor's note: The term "ExxonMobil Chemical Company" refers collectively to some or all of the companies affiliated with Exxon Mobil Corporation, and/or itself, which have chemical manufacturing and/or marketing operations around the world.
Editor's note: EMYK holds a 50 percent stake in Japan Butyl Co. Ltd.
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