Plans are there to be changed. While Hyosung Advanced Materials, the carbon fibre subsidiary of South Korean industrial conglomerate Hyosung (Seoul; www.hyosung.com/en), is not altering the planned scope of its expansion, it has changed the locations involved. Instead of constructing the additional capacity exclusively at the company’s main plant in Jeonju, it is now to be spread over the major customer markets of China and Vietnam.

Hyosung is aiming for a capacity of 24,000 t/y by 2028 – nearly triple the current 9,000 t/y that the segment has in South Korea and China. At JEC, the world’s leading trade show for composites, a spokesperson confirmed to Plasteurope.com that two lines with a total of 5,000 t/y are planned for China, but did not specify a precise location. The Hyosung Chemical Fiber site in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, is a possible candidate, however.

A similar-sized production facility is to be constructed in Vietnam by 2025 on the south coast near Ho Chi Minh City, the spokesperson explained. The remaining 5,000 t/y are most likely to remain earmarked for Jeonju, although it was implied that only half this amount has been secured for the company’s main plant so far. 

A fairly large proportion of the additional capacity seems to be intended for hydrogen tanks, whose manufacturers are also likely to be the driving force behind the expansion. At present, 70% of Hyosung’s carbon fibre is exported – including to Europe and North America.