Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has announced that it will establish development facilities for an innovative process that produces next-generation high-performance carbon fiber. The new facilities will be built on the premises of Toray’s plant in Matsumae, Ehime Prefecture. With these facilities, the company aims to develop the strongest carbon fiber in the world – surpassing...
Toray
Toray to Build New LiB Separator Factory in Europe
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) plans to triple its current production capacity of separator membranes for secondary lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) to about 2 billion square meters, building a new factory in Europe by 2020. The production expansion comes in anticipation of rapidly intensifying electric vehicle (EV) demand, and is expected to require an investment of 120...
Toray Engineering to Enter Market for CFRP Automotive Part Molding Machines
Toray Engineering Co. Ltd. has announced that it will begin dealing with molding machines for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) automotive parts. The company plans to achieve this goal by funding a leading German enterprise in the CFRP field, and aims to complete the contract this year so that business can begin in 2018. With...
Open Innovation Picks Up Steam on Hunt for New Ideas – Part 1
As companies strive to find new ideas, many are moving toward the open innovation model. In addition to M&A activities and investing in connections with academia or venture businesses, such efforts to aid their own development have so far been most common in the West. Online portals have been established specifically to allow for open...
Toray to Acquire Top Stake in Pacific Textiles
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has announced that it will invest in a 28 percent share of Pacific Textiles Holdings Ltd. (PTHL), a major knit fabric manufacturer in Hong Kong. The capital investment of approximately 59 billion yen ($520 million) will make Toray the largest shareholder in PTHL. The outlay exceeds the 58 billion yen Toray...
Key to the Car of Tomorrow: In-Vehicle Displays – Part 2
With the field of automotive displays showing continued growth, material and component manufacturers join display manufacturers in their hope for the future of this market, which has different requirements than that of displays for smartphones and other consumer devices. In addition to high durability and long lifespan, there is the need for high image quality...
Chemical, Materials Firms Set to Exceed 1 Trillion Yen in Capital Investments for 2017
Investments in plant and equipment by major chemical and materials companies during fiscal 2017 are set to total 1.18 trillion yen ($10.62 billion), increasing 20 percent over the previous year’s total, which was less than 1 trillion yen. The wide margin of increase comes on top of levels of investment that were already high, owing...
Toray Executive Yasuo Suga Discusses Future of Carbon Fiber Industry – Part 2
By Yusuke Sekiguchi, Editor Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) maintains the largest market share in the world for both regular-tow (RT) and large-tow (LT) carbon fiber. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is seeing increased demand in the automotive industry, despite a market slowdown last year, as the material’s ability to reduce vehicle weight enables better fuel...
Toray Executive Yasuo Suga Discusses Present and Future of Carbon Fiber Industry – Part 1
By Yusuke Sekiguchi, Editor Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) holds the world’s largest market share in both regular-tow (RT) and large-tow (LT) carbon fiber. Despite a market slowdown last year, demand for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has increased in the automotive industry, as the material’s ability to reduce vehicle weight enables better fuel efficiency and...
Toray Prepares for New Era of Automotive Carbon Fiber SMC – Part 2
Expecting demand for carbon fiber sheet molding compound (CFSMC) to increase in the automotive industry, Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has decided to accelerate its development of the material. Development of CFSMC for mass production has primarily been led by Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. However, Toray German subsidiary Euro Advanced Carbon Fiber Composites GmbH (EACC) also owns...
Toray Prepares for New Era of Automotive Carbon Fiber SMC – Part 1
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) plans to accelerate its development of carbon fiber sheet molding compound (CFSMC), as the company expects demand for the material to increase in the automotive field. Although carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is gaining in popularity in vehicle mass production in the 5–10 million yen ($44,010–$88,020) class, Toray is backing the...
Toray and Mitsui Announce Soda Aromatic Takeover Bid
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) and Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (TYO:8031) recently announced their takeover bid (TOB) of Soda Aromatic Co. Ltd. (TYO:4965). The companies aim for the takeover to start in early August at a maximum individual share price of 1,140 yen ($10.05). Toray is expected to hold a voting right ratio of 66 percent,...
Toray to Promote Early Cancer Detection Tech in US
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has established a development base on the west coast of the U.S. as part of an effort to popularize blood test technology that can detect early stage cancer through the use of a DNA microarray. The technology is drawing international attention, and Toray intends to expand its business based around the...
Toray Develops Sound-Absorbing Material to Cut Down Road Noise
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has developed a sound-absorbing material that reduces road noise produced by automobile tires. Until now there had been no material that absorbs sound at around 1,000 Hertz, the frequency of road noise. Toray plans to highlight the high added value delivered by the material’s sound-absorbent properties and convince manufacturers to start...
Toray Considers Automotive Development Bases in Europe and China
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) is looking at establishing comprehensive development bases in Europe and China for product prototyping and evaluation. The company has already established a number of sales hubs in the automotive field around the world and is considering the formation of development bases as a next step. In Japan, Toray has increased its...
Toray Develops 20% Lighter Carbon Fiber Prepreg for Next-Generation Aircraft
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) announced on March 7 that it has developed a next-generation aerospace carbon fiber prepreg material. Featuring world-leading performance characteristics, it includes a 30-percent improvement in tensile strength and impact resistance compared to existing comparable materials. Toray was able to optimize the molecular structure design of its new thermosetting matrix resin to impart...
Commentary: Solar Power Cell Demand Shifts Toward IoT Sensors, Cars
While overall demand in Japan for photovoltaic (PV) cells remains on the decline after having peaked in fiscal 2014, there is growing demand surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT), according to the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA). The JPEA reports that total shipment volume of PV modules for October through December 2016 was down 17...
Toray to Mass-Produce Organic Photovoltaics in 2019
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has set a concrete goal for mass production of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) in 2019. The company has used the technology to generate roughly double the power of amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells in a dim environment. Toray hopes to develop solutions with a long-lasting durability of some 10 years and plans...
Toray, Mitsui Sugar to Test Cellulosic Sugar Production in Thailand
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) has announced that it is forming a joint venture company in Thailand to test technologies for manufacturing cellulosic sugars. The raw material for the project will be surplus bagasse produced at a sugar production plant of Mitsui Sugar Co. Ltd. (TYO:2109). The tests will form a component of a larger effort...
Toray Develops Graphing Conductivity Agent That Doubles LiB Output
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) announced on Nov. 25 that it has developed a graphene conductivity agent for lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs). By using the neurotransmitter dopamine to process a graphene surface, researchers have succeeded in steadily dispersing the graphene within a solvent. The effects include increased conductivity that reduces the amount of conductivity agent required....
