How Eastman sees the Asian plant-building scene; governments are eager to please, but skilled labor shortage makes deadlines hard to meet. (Eastman Chemical Co. director of manufacturing for Southeast Asia Dave Brubaker, chemical plants)

Chemical Market Reporter, April, 1997 by Warren, J. Robert

Governments are eager to please, but skilled labor shortages make deadlines hard to meet. DAVE BRUBAKER, Eastman Chemical Company's director of manufacturing for Southeast Asia, is right at the focus of Eastman's Asian interest these days. Overseeing operations and personnel at the Malaysia and Singapore locations of the company's most advanced manufacturing plant projects, he has developed some useful insights on the pluses and minuses facing a Western company that wants its own production facilities in this fast-growing region.

Although Eastman is vigorously pursuing business in China/Hong Kong and India, and could well set up production in those countries, today's action--the building of worldscale plants for core chemicals--is on the Malay...