With this plant, leading carbon fibre producer Toray aims to respond to the rapidly growth in demand for carbon fibre in Asia, led by Korea and China.
The Korean plant will have an annual capacity of 2200 tons and will start operations in January 2013. Toray says it will feature the company's most advanced technology.
It will be constructed at TAK’s Gumi Plant No. 3 (Gumi-si Gyeongsangbuk-do) with an investment of approximately 63 billion won (5 billion yen). Construction is expected to start in early 2011.
TAK will produce standard modulus, high strength carbon fibre, which is widely used in industrial and sporting goods applications.
Carbon fibre in Korea
Korea has until now has relied on imports for almost all of its carbon fibre demand. The new plant at TAK will result in a stable supply of carbon fibre in the country.
In January 2010, TAK established a dedicated sales and marketing organisation for carbon fibre as part of its efforts to tap into the growing demand for the carbon fibre in Korea. Through the construction of the new production plant, Toray and TAK, working with their customers, aim to develop the Korean market for carbon fibre composites in applications ranging from sporting goods to industrial components.
Toray is focused on developing its TORAYCA carbon fibre composites in the energy, sporting goods, automotive, and aerospace markets. At the same time, the company is promoting a global operation built around its production facilities in Japan, France, the USA, and now Korea, to take advantage of the growing market and further expand its carbon fibre composites business.
