Well on its way to becoming Asia’s largest producer of nonwoven fabrics, Korea’s Toray Advanced Materials, once a joint venture between Toray Industries and Saehan, is working hard to meet the needs of the Asian consumer. While investment in Korea has slowed, the company has been adding new lines in China and Indonesia since 2006, making it one of Asia’s largest suppliers of spunbond nonwovens.

Exports manager Evan Lee says the decision to invest in China and Indonesia was the result of discussions with its key customers about where to find the best business opportunities.

“After talking to our customers, we made a decision to invest in the spunbond business and expand our business to China and Indonesia and became a major supplier in Asian nonwovens business,” he explains. “Although many nonwovens makers experience tough periods due to over-supply issues, severe competition and pressure of price-downs, we are always finding a new chance to break through.”

This market knowledge—and a little bit of confidence—is what influenced Toray to be so aggr