Toray Industries and its subsidiary, Toray Carbon Fibers Europe, have completed the construction of a new carbon fiber raw material plant in France. The plant is part of Toray Group's investment plan to expand carbon fiber production capacity globally. The new plant will allow Toray Carbon Fibers Europe to switch to using precursor produced at its own plant, boosting its cost competitiveness. The worldwide demand for carbon fibers is expected to continue growing at a rate exceeding 15% per year. Toray has also acquired Zoltek Companies to meet the growing demand for carbon fibers.
Toray Industries, Inc. announced today that it and subsidiary Toray Carbon Fibers Europe S.A. on September 26 held a ceremony to mark the completion of construction of the new carbon fiber raw material (precursor) plant at CFE's Lacq plant. The ceremony was attended by about 230 guests led by Japanese Ambassador to France Yoichi Suzuki and officials from French government agencies and municipalities as well as those representing the carbon fiber industry. The completed precursor plant is part of Toray Group's investment plan announced in March 2012 to expand carbon fiber production capacity at its four global production sites in Japan, U.S., France and South Korea. The new CFE plant is the third precursor production base at the Group following Japan and the U.S. It enables CFE to move on to an integrated production, switching to precursor produced at its own plant from the material imported from Japan, which will boost its cost competitiveness. CFE will also supply various Toray Group production bases including Toray Advanced Material Korea Inc., contributing to the group-wide business expansion. The worldwide demand for PAN-based carbon fibers expanded to exceed about 40,000 ton in 2013 and is expected to continue to grow at a rate exceeding 15% a year. In addition to the high performance regular tow carbon fiber TORAYCA®, Toray in February 2014 acquired Zoltek Companies, Inc. and made a full entry into the large tow carbon fiber business, enabling it to respond to growing demand by supplying products that meet various market needs.