The fourth line has a 1700 ton capacity. It was completed in August 2009 but its start-up was postponed as a result of falling demand for carbon fibre. The start-up this year follows increasing demand for carbon fibre, particularly from the aircraft, sports and wind power sectors.
Toho Tenax expects global carbon fibre sales to increase about 15% annually from this year, from around 23 000 tons in 2009. Looking ahead, Toho Tenax intends to further optimise production in Japan, Germany and the USA to meet this growing demand.
Toho Tenax Europe GmbH is the German subsidiary of Toho Tenax Co Ltd, is the core company of the Teijin Group's carbon fibre business. The Toho Tenax Group has an annual production capacity of 13 900 tons from facilities in Japan, Germany and the USA.
- Toho Tenax is not the only carbon fibre producer increasing production capacity. In July, Mitsubishi Rayon Co Ltd announced that it had resumed construction of the new carbon fibre plant which it stopped work on in 2009 as a result of the global recession. Located at Mitsubishi Rayon's Otake production site in Japan, the plant is scheduled to start operations in the second quarter of 2011 and will have an annual production capacity of 2700 tonnes.
