Toyobo Divests Nonwovens Units

Japanese nonwovens producer Toyobo has reportedly sold Kureha, its nonwoven fabric manufacturing subsidiary, and Toyobo Kankyo Techno, its filter manufacturing subsidiary. While the company continues to produce PET spunbonded nonwoven fabrics and has a production capacity of 12,000 tons per year, sources says it is considering outsourcing production to a Taiwanese company. Although the extent of the downsizing is unclear, Toyobo's nonwoven business will be significantly reduced, as it has already sold its nonwoven-related subsidiaries.

The Japanese nonwovens industry has been met with considerable challenges in recent years, leading many producers to reevaluate their businesses. Earlier this year, Unitika announced it was exiting the textile business and seeking a buyer for its nonwoven and fiber units. This follows actions by  JNC Fibers, a specialist in thermal bonded nonwovens for baby diaper applications, which ceased production at its Japanese facility and sold one of its two Chinese sites to a local company, reducing its nonwovens output in Asia in two separate actions late last year