Toray has purchased approximately 1.6 million m2 of land in Spartanburg County and says it plans to invest roughly Yen100 billion (approximately US$1 billion) in its advanced materials in the US by 2020.
According to an article on GoUpstate.com, Toray will build a carbon fibre manufacturing plant on the South Carolina site, creating 500 jobs.
This is in line with Toray's statement about the expansion of its US business, in which the company says it "has already been considering a plan to newly build an integrated high-performance carbon fibre production facility that covers from raw material fibre (precursor) spinning to carbonisation as well as a production facility for TORAYCA® prepreg."
A report from Reuters confirms that the Toray South Carolina plant will support increased production of Boeing's 50% composite 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
Boeing assembles and delivers 787s in two locations – Everett, Washington, and North Charleston, South Carolina. Toray has already announced the addition of a new prepreg facility at its US subsidiary Toray Composites (America) Inc, Tacoma, Washington, to meet growing demand from the Boeing 787 programme.
The US a key market for Toray
Toray operates a range of businesses in the US, including fibres and textiles, plastic resins, and carbon fibre composite materials.
Toray notes that the US is expected to regain its industrial competitiveness on the back of the shale gas/oil industry and the resulting revival in manufacturing. This, together with demand for advanced materials in the aircraft and energy-related industries, makes the country a key growth market for Toray.
The US is also an important access point to Latin America, including the growing economies of Mexico and Brazil.
