Toray to Expand Production Facilities for Ultrasuede®

Toray Industries, Inc. (head office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Akihiro Nikkaku; hereinafter referred to as “Toray”) today announced that it has decided to expand the production facilities for its Ultrasuede®, which is made in Japan. Toray will install new equipment and upgrade production facilities at its Shiga Plant (Otsu, Shiga Prefecture) and its Gifu Plant (Anpachi-gun, Gifu Prefecture). Toray 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 current production capacity.

Ultrasuede® is a premium, luxurious advanced fibers material that Toray promotes worldwide as an advanced “Made in Japan” brand. Ultrasuede® is highly regarded for its product strengths, assured quality, and the wide range of products it can be used in to meet customer requirements. Ultrasuede® is not only used in fashion and interior design; demand for it in luxury car upholstery has also grown sharply in recent years. Meanwhile, demand is also increasing for new applications such as aircraft upholstery and consumer electronics. Toray projects that demand for Ultrasuede® will exceed the present production capacity by 2019. The production expansion will position Toray to meet strong demand and ensure a timely, stable supply of premium Ultrasuede®. 　

Global motor vehicle production continues to grow at an annual rate of about 2%, marked by significant growth in the luxury car segment, which is the main target for the unique branded material. Demand for in this category material is projected to grow by about 7% annually, for use in automotive upholstery, primarily in luxury cars, as well as with increased use in other areas amid a shift from genuine leather. 　To address these trends, the Toray Group is also already advancing plans to expand its production facilities for Luxury material Alcantara®, which is made in Italy by its Italian subsidiary Alcantara S.p.A. Meanwhile, the production expansion for Ultrasuede® announced here will provide Toray with a strong production framework from which to accelerate its plans to globally expand its advanced fibers material business through both the Ultrasuede® and Alcantara® brands.

The Toray Group will promote Ultrasuede® and Alcantara® as its global advanced fibers material brands for all applications around the world. Ultrasuede® is an advanced materials brand from Japan with a diversity of products based on advanced technologies, and Alcantara® is a luxury brand with its own positioning under Italian management. Moving forward, the Toray Group will aim to further expand its unique branded material business by leveraging the brand strengths of both Ultrasuede® and Alcantara®.