Asia Plastics Recycling Holding Ltd (APR, 亞塑再生) yesterday said it plans to begin selling products on China’s e-commerce platforms in the next five years.
APR, which recycles used plastic scrap to make ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam in China, provides materials used for making shoes, water sports utilities, air conditioner parts, packaging and filtering products.
APR said it hopes to reach more potential customers by launching e-commerce services and expanding its sales channels.
“Given uncertainties in the development of new channels, we are now seeking collaborations with existing Chinese e-commerce operators instead of directly operating e-commerce platforms,” spokesman Mark Hsueh (薛又瑋) told an investors’ conference.
The Kaohsiung-based company also plans to launch new series of products such as mats to attract customers in the future, Hsueh added.
APR is in talks with a major e-commerce operator in China, he said, declining to give more details of the plan.
The company is also mulling construction of a new plant in Xinjiang, China, to take advantage of plastic mulch disposal.
Plastic mulch is widely used in large-scale vegetable farming in Xinjiang because it helps reduce water usage and suppresses weeds.
However, there are rising concerns about the impact of plastic mulch, as the accumulation of plastic in the soil can cause environmental problems.
“The company hopes to increase plastic material resources by recycling plastic mulch,” Hsueh said.
The company operates two plants in China, one in Fujian Province and the other in Jiangsu Province, with an annual capacity of nearly 850,000m2.
It posted a net profit of NT$389 million (US$12.2 million) for the first three quarters of the year, a massive improvement of 82.6 percent from the same period last year.
Accumulated sales grew to NT$4.28 billion during that period, up 27.7 percent from the previous year, company data showed.
Gross margin also improved 3.35 percentage points from 19.04 percent to 22.39 percent.
APR shares yesterday edged up 0.86 percent to close at NT$17.55 in Taipei trading, outperforming the benchmark TAIEX, which dropped 0.32 percent to 9,192.38 points.
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