Groundbreaking Ceremony for Toray Carbon Fibers America Factory Site in Moore, South Carolina

    On January 19, Consul General (CG) Takashi Shinozuka attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of a new Toray Carbon Fibers America, Inc. plant in Moore, South Carolina. The ceremony was attended approximately by 160 guests, including South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, State Secretary of Commerce Robert Hitt and other local government officials, Toray Industries, Inc. President Akihiro Nikkaku, Senior Managing Director Moriyuki Onishi and other Toray officials, representatives from clients, affiliated companies and suppliers including Tokyo Gas and Boeing, Inc., as well as Japanese and US media affiliates.

    Toray Industries, Inc. acquired the land in Spartanburg County, South Carolina in February, 2014 and decided to build a carbon fiber composite material production plant in October 2015. This project will receive investments of 100 billion yen over 10 years and willcreate 500 jobs.

    President Nikkaku said in his speech that Toray who leads the world in carbon fiber composite is to build a fully-integrated manufacturing facility in South Carolina in the commemorative year of its 90th anniversary. While expressing his gratitude to the support and cooperation from Governor Haley and local officials, he told the audience that Toray was hoping to be a good corporate citizen in South Carolina in cooperation with the local community and that the company wanted to continue providing the society with good solutions.

    Governor Haley, in her congratulatory remarks, praised Toray’s decision to expand into South Carolina and said that it was their turn to cooperate with Toray to ensure that all needs are met, and that they would extend the maximum cooperation in a timely manner.

    Consul General (CG) Shinozuka congratulated Toray on their decision to operate in South Carolina and expressed his appreciation for the support from state and local governments for the company. He also expressed his hope that the new partnership between South Carolina and Toray will lead to create further business opportunities in the future.