COLOMBES, FRANCE (Oct. 8, 11:45 a.m. ET) — French materials firm Arkema Group will open a new polyvinylidene fluoride plant in China early next year, its first PVDF facility in Asia.

The company will open the factory at its large manufacturing complex in Changshu, Jiangsu province, and said it is part of an effort to strengthen distribution of its Kynar PVDF resins in Asia. In particular it singled out the high-performance coatings market.

A company spokeswoman declined to reveal capacity details or investment, citing company policy.

The Colombes, France-based company said the Kynar resins are used in a wide variety of applications, including high-performance lithium ion batteries and photovoltaic panels.