Asahi Kasei has decided to expand its plant for Lamous™ artificial suede in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan, by 4 million m²/year, increasing total production capacity to 14 million m²/year upon completion in 2021.
Lamous™ is a premium artificial suede featuring a unique three-layered¹ microstructure. Leveraging its luxurious smooth texture and flexibility in design as well as superior environmental characteristics, Asahi Kasei has actively expanded its Lamous™ business worldwide in a wide variety of applications including automotive interiors, furniture upholstery, IT accessories, apparel, and industrial materials.
Sold in markets around the world, Lamous™ is enjoying particularly strong demand growth in automotive interiors and IT accessories. As such demand growth is forecasted to continue, the decision was made to expand capacity. Moving forward, Asahi Kasei will continue to strengthen the Lamous™ supply configuration in line with additional growth in the global market.
Outline of the capacity increase
Location : Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan
Product : Lamous™ premium artificial suede
Additional capacity : Approximately 4 million m²/year※
- Construction is currently in progress to raise current capacity of 6 million m²/year to 10 million m²/year during the first half of fiscal 2019.
Groundbreaking : Second half of fiscal 2019
Start-up : Second half of fiscal 2021