Toray Industries, Inc.’s China business performance in fiscal year 2025 is expected to surpass the previous year’s results on a yen-converted basis. Although the Chinese economy remains uncertain due to the real estate slump and sluggish consumption, the textile business—which accounts for about 70% of sales—continues to perform strongly, offsetting the struggles in the chemicals segment. In the first half (April–September), both sales and operating profit were on par with the same period last year. Amid the growing polarization of consumption in the Chinese market, “we are securing profits by thoroughly implementing a differentiation strategy,” said There are two major factors behind the strong performance of the textile business. One is the solid domestic sales of Toray Sakai Weaving & Dyeing (Nantong) Co., Ltd.（TSD）. The expansion of functional materials to major local sports and outdoor brands has been successful. Adoption is spreading not only in woven fabrics but also in specialized knitted fabrics.
The other is the improvement in the spunbond nonwoven fabric business. By shifting from the highly competitive baby products segment to higher value-added women’s hygiene products, and by strengthening group collaboration across China, South Korea, and Indonesia, Toray Polytech (Nantong) Co., Ltd. （TPN） and Toray Polytech (Foshan) Co., Ltd. （TPF） have integrated their plant operations, achieving full capacity utilization from the second half onward.
Supporting these efforts is “strategic pricing.” Even in times of lower raw material costs, the company avoids easy price cuts, instead thoroughly practicing sales that logically explain value using data.
In the second half, Toray will strengthen collaboration between the Toray Fibers & Textiles Research Laboratories (China) Co., Ltd. （TFRC） in Nantong, which serves as a textile research and technology development hub, and the Toray Advanced Materials Research Laboratories (China) Co., Ltd. （TARC）, which focuses on films, water treatment, and other areas. “We will accelerate development through technological integration,” said Chairman Kenichiro Miki. The company will also continue to emphasize nurturing the next generation of national staff leaders.