Toray Carbon Fibers Europe to build new carbon fiber production line by 2025
European carbon fiber producer invests approximately €100 million to respond to green energy and aerospace market demand.
Photo Credit: Toray Carbon Fiber Europe
Toray Carbon Fibers Europe (Lacq, France), a European carbon fiber producer and subsidiary of Toray Industries (Tokyo, Japan), has decided to invest about €100 million to build a new production line at its plant in South West France. This investment will enable the company to meet growing demand for high-performance carbon fiber in France and other European countries.
The new line will be able to produce a range of carbon fibers, including high-modulus (HM) carbon fiber, offering high mechanical performance that are ideally suited for the requirements of high-tech industries such as renewable energy, nuclear power and aerospace.
Construction work will commence in the second half of 2023, with production expected to start at the end of 2025. Providing up to 1,000 tons of additional capacity, this investment will also generate about 50 new jobs at the plant.
“This investment demonstrates our shareholders’ recognition of the excellence of our products and their confidence in us as a company,” Jean-Marc Guilhempey, chief executive officer (CEO) of Toray Carbon Fibers Europe, emphasizes. “It will also allow us to reinforce and secure our know-how in France.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Toray Carbon Fibers Europe has adapted its business model from a strong focus on aerospace markets to industrial sectors linked to green energy production and the development of new mobility solutions. In view of the sustained demand from these emerging sectors, and the gradual recovery of the aerospace industry, Toray Carbon Fibers Europe considers it vital to prepare for the future by investing in such initiatives.
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