In order to best capture the anticipated double-digit growth in western China’s automotive and home appliances sector, Toray Industries (Tokyo / Japan; www.toray.com) in July 2012 set up a new engineering compounds plant in Chengdu City, Sichuan. The EUR 100m facility is due to begin operations in October 2013, with an initial output of 11,000 t/y of PPS, PA and PBT, which Toray says could be expanded at a later date to more special compounds, including carbon fibre-reinforced LCP.

The plant complements the group’s existing two production facilities in China, located in Shenzhen (Guangdong) and Suzhou (Jiangsu), Toray said. The reason for choosing Sichuan as a new base was the anticipated above-average growth in demand from the region’s automotive and home appliances sector: While engineering plastics demand for both industries is expected to rise by 12% a year in China on average, the country's west is anticipated to see growth rates of 17%.

The decision to build a new facility in China is part of Toray’s long-term plans to aggressively expand its business in China and other emerging Asian economies – see also Plasteurope.com of 06.06.2011.