Asahi Kasei will expand production capacity for spunbond nonwovens in Thailand through the addition of a new production line at its subsidiary Asahi Kasei Spunbond (Thailand) Co., Ltd. The third line will add 15,000 tons per year to the total capacity bringing the site's total output to 50,000 tons. Since entering the spunbond business in 1973, Asahi Kasei has supplied Eltas spunbond for use in a wide variety of applications including disposable diapers and other hygiene products, automotive and other industrial applications and deodorizing sheets and other consumer products. Asahi Kasei has expanded the spunbond business with two production sites in Japan in Moriyama, Shiga, and Nobeoka, Miyazaki as well as AKST in Thailand since 2012.
AKST started operation of its second production line in 2016 to meet rapidly growing demand for spunbond for diaper applications in Asia. The third line will further reinforce AKST’s capability to meet ongoing demand growth with higher product performance, quality, and cost competitiveness. It is expected to start up in July 2021.