Toray Industries plans to expand the polyester staple fiber business at Toray Chemical Korea Inc., which it acquired in April. Toray will boost production capacity of low melt polyester staple fiber at its plant in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea by about 1.7 times to 170,000 tons.

The additional LM polyester staple fiber production facility is expected to start production in July 2016.  In addition, Toray will  increase production capacity of bicomponent staple fibers of both polypropylene-polyethylene and polyester-polyethylene. The fibers are used to produce nonwoven fabrics for personal hygiene materials , whose demand has been growing rapidly. 

LM polyester staple fiber is used as a binder (a bonding agent) to combine staple fibers using heat in the manufacturing process of nonwoven fabric, and it is mainly used in nonwoven fabric used for acoustic insulation material for automotives and cushions for mattresses and other furniture. Manufacturers have been switching from the conventional chemical adhesive method using chemical agents for manufacturing nonwoven fabric to a thermal bonded method given the rising awareness for environmental friendliness.

LM polyester staple fiber is an eco-friendly material used in thermobonding and its global market is expanding at a rate of 8% a year. For this reason,  competition in the industry has been intensifying, as manufacturers with top market shares in the LM polyester staple fiber market have invested in manufacturing facilities and other companies are newly entering into the market.  

The market for nonwoven fabric for personal hygiene materials, for which bi-component fibers are used, is expected to grow at an annual rate of 6%, due to the demand caused by  improving living standards in emerging countries primarily in Asia and the advent of the aging society in developed countries.  In preparation for the expansion of the polypropylene spunbond market, Toray Group has been enhancing its production capacity in major countries in Asia. The composite fiber production capacity increase at TCK would enhance the product lineup of the materials, from filament to staple fibers, used in nonwoven fabric for personal hygiene material products. It will also strengthen joint initiatives with major personal hygiene material manufacturers with global operation ultimately to expand the business.