Bayer MaterialScience increased its presence in China yesterday by breaking ground on a new plant for a key product used by the fast growing lighting industry.

The facility in south China's Guangzhou City will make 12,000 tons of polycarbonate solid sheet when production starts by late 2012, according to the company, a subgroup of German chemical and pharmaceutical group Bayer AG.

Polycarbonate solid sheet is mainly used in producing optical application plates, machine cover, protection gear, architecture glazing, LED light box and other diffusion lighting applications.

The plant, part of Bayer's 110-million-euro (US$152 million) investment plan by 2012 to build five downstream facilities in China, is the company's first solid sheets plant in the country.

"Our aim is to bring Bayer closer to customers with its customized solutions and market-oriented expertise of high-quality materials," said Johannes M. Dietsch, chairman of Bayer (China) Ltd.

Bayer plans to double the capacity of the new plant in 2015 as it's optimistic about market growth.

The company forecast China's polycarbonate solid sheet market to grow to 90,000 tons in 2015 from around 55,000 tons this year.

The company already has a solid sheet facility in South Korea's Gimhae, supplying China and other Asian nations.