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

• ¹The three-layer structured Lamous™ is made of the front, back, and core layers. They are three-dimensionally entangled with microfibers, and the core layer is composed of a fine, specially-woven fabric called "scrim," which improves strength and dimensional stability. Impregnation with water-based polyurethane imparts a soft and highly flexible texture.