Toray Industries, Inc. has decided to expand the production facilities for Ultrasuede, which is produced in Japan.
Toray will install new equipment and upgrade production facilities at its Shiga Plant (Otsu, Shiga Prefecture) and Gifu Plant (Anpachi Gun, Gifu Prefecture). The company expects to bring the added production capacity online in September 2019. The move will raise the total annual production capacity to 10 million square meters, representing a 60% increase over the current production capacity.
Ultrasuede is a premium, luxurious advanced fiber material that Toray is promoting worldwide as an advanced “Made in Japan” brand. Ultrasuede is highly regarded for its product strength, assured quality and the wide range of products it can be used for to meet customer requirements. It is used in fashion and interior design; demand for use in luxury car upholstery has also grown sharply in recent years. Meanwhile, demand is also growing for new applications such as aircraft upholstery and consumer electronics. Toray projects that demand for Ultrasuede is likely to exceed the present production capacity by 2019.