Asahi Kasei Fibers will expand production capacity for spunbond nonwovens in Thailand at its subsidiary Asahi Kasei Spunbond (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (AKST). AKST will add a new production line of 20,000 tons/year capacity which, combined with its existing production line, will double its capacity for spunbond nonwovens to 40,000 tons/year.

The ¥5 billion investment at the company’s plant in the Saha Group Industrial Park in Siracha, Chonburi Province, Thailand, will start-up in November 2015.

Since beginning its spunbond business in 1973, Asahi Kasei Fibers has supplied Eltas spunbond for use in a wide variety of applications including disposable diapers and other hygienic products, automotive and other industrial applications, and general consumer products. Since then Asahi Kasei Fibers has expanded its spunbond business with two production sites in Japan at Moriyama, Shiga, and Nobeoka, Miyazaki, as well as AKST.

AKST began operation in 2012 as a base for local production in Thailand to meet growing demand for spunbond for diaper applications in Asia. The market in Asia not only continues to grow in volume, but also is increasingly marked by more sophisticated demand for higher product performance and quality, even as price competition intensifies.