09.11.19
Osaka, Japan
www.toyobo-global.com
2019 Nonwovens Sales: $146 million
Key Personnel
Kazuyuki Kawata, general manager, AC, SB division of Toyobo; Hironori Tanaka, president of Kureha
Plants
Tsuruga, Iwakuni, Shiga, Japan
Processes
Spunbond, needlepunch, chemical bonded, spunlaced, thermal bonded, stitchbonded
Brand Names
Volans, Ecule, Bonden, Kurelock, Dynak, Breathair
Major Markets
Geotextiles, roofing sheets, carpet backings, automotive interiors, automotive filters, needlepunch carpets, hot melt bonding sheets, plaster bases
Toyobo produces polyester spunbond nonwovens with the capacity of 12,000 tons/year, and Kureha, in the Toyobo group, manufactures chemical bonded, needlepunch, thermal bonded and spunbond with the capacity of approximately 7000 tons/year. And Yuho, also in the Toyobo group, produces needlepunch, spunlace and stitch bonded nonwovens with the capacity of 3000 tons/year.
In recent years, demand in motor vehicle use has grown Toyobo’s polyester spunbond nonwovens but in 2020 this business has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, manufacturing shutdowns and weakened consumer demands.
Kurebulker is a bulky nonwoven fabric with cushion characteristics, and bulky sense and soundproofing characteristics are provided if it is spread under the carpet. It is used as sound absorption material for motor vehicles.
In July, Toyobo Co., Ltd. and 11 other companies forming a plastic value chain have jointly established a new company called R Plus Japan, Ltd., which will facilitate the recycling of used plastics to help solve plastics-associated problems and create a more sustainable society. R Plus Japan, which started operating in June, is headed by President Tsunehiko Yokoi and located in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The 11 companies are: Suntory MONOZUKURI Expert Ltd.; Rengo Co., Ltd.; Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.; J&T Recycling Corporation; Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.; Iwatani Corporation; Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.; Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.; Fuji Seal International, Inc.; Hokkai Can Co., Ltd.; Yoshino Kogyosho Co., Ltd. R Plus Japan will continue seeking additional investors, and companies such as Sumitomo Chemical Company are currently considering joining.
Toyobo Group has provided many products and technologies to help solve social problems since its inception, based on its corporate philosophy “Jun-Ri-Soku-Yu” (Adhering to reason leads to prosperity) that embodied the spirit advocated by its founder Eiichi Shibusawa. The group is determined to create a more sustainable society by developing products and technologies that reduce society’s impact on the environment. For example, Toyobo has raised the proportion of recycled resin and plant-derived raw materials in its main plastic products and manufactured and sold highly functional bioplastics.
Toyobo has long admired a technology U.S. biochemical venture company Anellotech, Inc., developed to make raw materials for polyester from wood. Since 2017, Toyobo has been involved in a project in which Anellotech, the Suntory Group and other companies in Japan and elsewhere are developing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles made entirely of plant-derived materials. Application of this groundbreaking technology likely will pave the way for effectively recycling used plastics and the increased cyclical use of plastics.
www.toyobo-global.com
2019 Nonwovens Sales: $146 million
Key Personnel
Kazuyuki Kawata, general manager, AC, SB division of Toyobo; Hironori Tanaka, president of Kureha
Plants
Tsuruga, Iwakuni, Shiga, Japan
Processes
Spunbond, needlepunch, chemical bonded, spunlaced, thermal bonded, stitchbonded
Brand Names
Volans, Ecule, Bonden, Kurelock, Dynak, Breathair
Major Markets
Geotextiles, roofing sheets, carpet backings, automotive interiors, automotive filters, needlepunch carpets, hot melt bonding sheets, plaster bases
Toyobo produces polyester spunbond nonwovens with the capacity of 12,000 tons/year, and Kureha, in the Toyobo group, manufactures chemical bonded, needlepunch, thermal bonded and spunbond with the capacity of approximately 7000 tons/year. And Yuho, also in the Toyobo group, produces needlepunch, spunlace and stitch bonded nonwovens with the capacity of 3000 tons/year.
In recent years, demand in motor vehicle use has grown Toyobo’s polyester spunbond nonwovens but in 2020 this business has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, manufacturing shutdowns and weakened consumer demands.
Kurebulker is a bulky nonwoven fabric with cushion characteristics, and bulky sense and soundproofing characteristics are provided if it is spread under the carpet. It is used as sound absorption material for motor vehicles.
In July, Toyobo Co., Ltd. and 11 other companies forming a plastic value chain have jointly established a new company called R Plus Japan, Ltd., which will facilitate the recycling of used plastics to help solve plastics-associated problems and create a more sustainable society. R Plus Japan, which started operating in June, is headed by President Tsunehiko Yokoi and located in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The 11 companies are: Suntory MONOZUKURI Expert Ltd.; Rengo Co., Ltd.; Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.; J&T Recycling Corporation; Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.; Iwatani Corporation; Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.; Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.; Fuji Seal International, Inc.; Hokkai Can Co., Ltd.; Yoshino Kogyosho Co., Ltd. R Plus Japan will continue seeking additional investors, and companies such as Sumitomo Chemical Company are currently considering joining.
Toyobo Group has provided many products and technologies to help solve social problems since its inception, based on its corporate philosophy “Jun-Ri-Soku-Yu” (Adhering to reason leads to prosperity) that embodied the spirit advocated by its founder Eiichi Shibusawa. The group is determined to create a more sustainable society by developing products and technologies that reduce society’s impact on the environment. For example, Toyobo has raised the proportion of recycled resin and plant-derived raw materials in its main plastic products and manufactured and sold highly functional bioplastics.
Toyobo has long admired a technology U.S. biochemical venture company Anellotech, Inc., developed to make raw materials for polyester from wood. Since 2017, Toyobo has been involved in a project in which Anellotech, the Suntory Group and other companies in Japan and elsewhere are developing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles made entirely of plant-derived materials. Application of this groundbreaking technology likely will pave the way for effectively recycling used plastics and the increased cyclical use of plastics.