Formosa Plastics began looking abroad in the mid-1970s, when its suppliers of EDC, an element needed for the production of polyvinyl chloride, could not keep pace with the company's needs.
「制 PVC 的原料 EDC，國內由中油獨家供應；一九七五年以後，中油的供應量逐漸跟不上台塑成長的速度，所以決定另覓資源」，台塑公司特別助理蘇忠正說。