TEIJIN Ltd announced plans for a textile R&D centre in China. The facility will be built on the premises of its factory in Nantong, Jiangsu Province. Construction of the facility will total US$24 billion, with operations expected to start in April 2013.
Hiring engineers locally, the centre will develop polyester fibre and fabric with heat-retaining and absorbent properties. It will focus on apparel applications and provide guidance to local synthetic fibre manufacturers in a bid to make materials that suit the market.
Teijin envisions the centre eventually serving as a base for developing automotive materials, such as carbon fibres. The company has been developing apparel fibre and fabric in Japan. Yet as income levels rise in China, demand is expected to grow for advanced fabrics that retain heat, whisk moisture or dry quickly. Teinjin plans to tap into China’s market demand. (PRA)
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