Japanese chemical company Kuraray held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday to build a production facility for polyvinyl butyral film at a plant of its South Korean unit in the southeastern city of Ulsan.

PVB is a glass interlayer used in creating safety glass in the automotive and architectural industries. 


The company plans to complete the construction of the PVB production facility by the end of next year with an investment of $50 million.

Kuraray's expansion of the local plant is part of its efforts to make the Ulsan plant a production hub for its entry into the Asian market.

The chemical leader set up Kuraray Korea Co. in February 2014 before acquiring the PVB film business of DuPont's South Korean unit. (Yonhap)