Corning Corporation today held a mass production ceremony for its new environmental science and technology factory located in the Hefei New Station High-tech Industrial Development Zone in Anhui Province. The plant produces carriers and particulate filters for automotive emission control systems. Initial production is focused on meeting customer demand for Corning's gasoline particle filter (GPF) product line, Corning® DuraTrap® GC filters.
Hal Nelson, senior vice president and general manager of Corning Environmental Technology, said: "Today, Corning is a major milestone. We have not only helped to achieve China's clean air program with practical actions, but also fulfilled our commitment to local automotive customers. The new state-of-the-art facility will help us meet China's demand for innovative emissions control solutions in the world's largest automotive market. "
Installing particulate filters in gasoline systems is a major engineering advancement for China's environmentally friendly automotive technology. Gasoline engines produce a large number of particles that are harmful to air quality and human health, such as PM2.5. And DuraTrap GC filters tailored for gasoline engines have proven high-efficiency particulate filtering performance.
Currently, automakers are preparing for the National Sixth Standard for Light Vehicle Pollutant Emissions, and the demand for particulate filter products has continued to grow. When National Six emission standards are fully implemented in 2023, most gasoline vehicles in China will need to be fitted with gasoline particulate filters.
China will become the world's second largest market after Europe to introduce particulate filters for gasoline engine emissions. When the two major markets fully implement the new emission standards, Corning expects its annual sales of gasoline particulate filters to increase by approximately $ 500 million.
Corning Automotive Environmental Protection (Hefei) Co., Ltd. is Corning's second environmental technology business plant in China. The other plant is Corning (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which was officially put into operation in 2000. The two factories help Corning keep up with China's growing demand for emissions control and also represent Corning's support for China's automotive industry and environmental protection.
Corning supplies advanced honeycomb ceramic carriers and ceramic particulate filters for emission control systems to major gasoline and diesel vehicle manufacturers worldwide. The company invented a cost-effective honeycomb ceramic carrier in the early 1970s, which has now become the global standard for catalytic converters. In 1978, Corning invented a honeycomb ceramic particulate filter to remove soot from diesel emissions. Corning will continue to use its expertise in materials science and manufacturing processes to develop market-leading emissions control solutions to help our customers meet the requirements of new emission standards and make the world's air cleaner.