According to the report on January 10, 2017 on the website of Mitsubishi Liyang Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Liyang Co., Ltd., headquartered in Chiyoda District, Tokyo, Japan, in order to expand its carbon fiber business in North America market, has decided to acquire SGL carbon fibers LLC (SCF), a carbon fiber production base of SGL Group in the United States, headquartered in evanton, Wyoming, USA. Mitsubishi Rayon carbon fiber and composites (mrcfac, headquartered in 1rvine, California, USA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Liyang Co., Ltd., has acquired all the shares of SCF from SGL technologies North America, the parent company of SCF, and plans to complete the acquisition before early April 2017
in general, small tow carbon fibers are used in the development and production of aircraft and compressed gas cylinder tanks. Mitsubishi Liyang Co., Ltd. independently developed high-performance large tow carbon fiber, which can greatly improve the productivity of product molding on the basis of realizing the physical properties and quality of small tow carbon fiber. Since the operation of Dazhu office’s production line in July 2011, the application field of big bundle carbon fiber has been expanding, especially in the field of wind turbine blades. Mitsubishi Liyang established a joint venture in Europe in October 2016 to manufacture and sell carbon fiber composite laminates for wind turbine blades. 1n addition, the sales of various intermediate materials used for automotive lightweight materials are also increasing, and the company’s production equipment is in full load operation for a long time
Mitsubishi Liyang Co., Ltd. decided this acquisition in response to the growth of demand for large bundle carbon fiber. This transaction will enhance Mitsubishi liyang’s carbon fiber carbonization capacity as a whole. 1n addition to the capacity improvement of mrcfac’s small tow carbon fiber production line in Sacramento and the upgrading and reconstruction of Dazhu office’s production line in Japan scheduled to start in 2017, the company’s annual carbon fiber production capacity will increase by more than 1000 tons to 14300 tons. Based on the expectation of further expansion of carbon fiber market, we will also consider increasing the investment of carbon fiber and its intermediate composite manufacturing equipment in SCF’s factory area in the future
according to the medium-term business plan of Mitsubishi Chemical holding group, aptsis will achieve sales of 100 billion yen in the carbon fiber and composite business by 2020. Mitsubishi will make full use of the characteristics of high-performance large tow fiber to expand its business in automobile and other industrial fields through its R & D and manufacturing bases of CFRP intermediate materials and molding materials in Europe, North America, Asia and Japan
source: compiled by science and Technology Department of China Composite Materials Group Co., Ltd