Toray to increase PP spunbond production in Indonesia

Toray Industries Inc and its subsidiary Toray Advanced Materials Korea (TAK) will expand the production facility for high-performance polypropylene spunbond (PP spunbond) at P T Toray Polytech Jakarta (TPJ) by 18,000 tonnes per year.  
 
After the expansion, the production capacity of TPJ will be about 37,000 tons per year, boosting the Toray Group-wide PP spunbond production capacity to about 153,000 tons per year. The added production facility at TPJ is expected to start operating in September 2016.  
 
Demand for disposable baby diapers is forecast to rapidly grow in ASEAN countries with the improvement in the people’s lifestyle, as their national income increases. In addition, demand for disposable diapers for elderly is expected to expand in developed and semi-developed countries in East Asia due to the advent of declining birthrates and aging societies. Under such circumstances, demand for PP spunbond, which is the main material for making disposable diapers, is expected to grow to 660,000 tonnes per year in 2016 from 493,000 tonnes in 2013 and to 936,000 tons per year in 2020.
 
In response to this robust demand, Toray Group has been expanding the production capacities of its PP spunbond production bases in Korea, China and Indonesia in advance. In June 2013, TPJ’s first facility started operations, and the Group’s production base in China, Toray Polytech (Nantong) Co Ltd (TPN), will start operation of a new production line later this month. 
 
Toray Group will enhance its PP spunbond supply structure based on the three bases in Korea, China and Indonesia and build firm relationships with global hygiene product manufacturers in order to drive forward sales expansion in emerging markets such as in rapidly growing China and ASEAN countries as well as in the growth fields. 
 
The decision to enhance the PP spunbond production capacity in Indonesia is being implemented as one of the basic strategies to capture the growths in Asia and emerging countries in other regions that are expected to register significant economic growth as well as the growth in fields related to health and long life. Toray will continue to actively promote business expansion so as to leverage the power of materials to contribute to the society.