Celanese Corporation Announces Agreement with Southwest Research and Design Institute of Chemical Industry

Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global, hybrid chemical company, today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement with Southwest Research and Design Institute of Chemical Industry (SWRDICI), based in China, that will accelerate Celanese’s research and development efforts in acetyls.

The agreement includes a long-term technology and research and development arrangement in which SWRDICI will collaborate exclusively with Celanese to jointly develop technological advances in the production of acetic acid and other acetyls. Terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

“Asia is of critical importance for Celanese, particularly as we pursue our growth strategy to better meet increasing global customer demand,” said John J. Gallagher III, president, Acetyls and Celanese Asia. “This agreement will advance our technology and R&D efforts, allowing Celanese to immediately access local expertise to meet customer needs, further our capabilities to provide a highly reliable, cost efficient supply to the global acetyls market and develop new application opportunities for our products.”

“As Celanese expands its participation in China as part of our strategy to meet global demand, the agreement with SWRDICI is a significant step in acetyl technology development and growth with local partners,” Gallagher said.