Invista Establishes First Airbag Fiber Manufacturing Base in China

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Invista (Wichita, Kansas), the world's leading integrated fibers and polymers producer, broke ground for a new nylon manufacturing plant in the Qingpu Industrial Zone of Shanghai about two weeks ago. This new plant is the first such plant in China to produce high-tenacity nylon 6,6 yarns primarily used in car airbags.

Invista is to invest over $50 million in the new plant whose annual production capacity is expected to be 11,000 tons after construction is completed. With the new plant, Invista is to become the first manufacturer in China whose annual production capacity exceeds 10,000 tons. This new plant is expected to put into operation in 2008. By then, Invista will also become the first company in the globe who has automobile airbag fiber production capacity in Europe, North America and Asia at the same time.

Invista’s new Shanghai plant will use Invista’s leading technology to produce state-of-the-art, super high-tenacity nylon 6,6 yarns primarily for use in car airbags. Shanghai was chosen as the location for the new plant because it’s nearby major automotive supply chains and also because it’s possible to develop synergies with other Invista facilities in the area.

So far China has no such manufacturing facilities to produce super high-tenacity nylon 6,6 yarns. As a kind of incentive, the Chinese government has granted Invista’s Shanghai new plant the status of an “Encouraged Industry.”

Invista’s Shanghai plant represents the company’s latest move to implement the company’s $300-400 million investment plan in China, which was announced last year. In November 2006, Invista started construction on a spandex plant in Foshan, Guangdong. Invista injected $128 million in this Foshan plant whose annual production capacity is expected to reach 12,000 tons when fully operational.

Invista started selling spandex in China in the 1970s. So far Invista has spandex manufacturing joint ventures in Shanghai, Lianyungang (Shandong Province, east China) and Foshan (Guangdong Province) as well as sales and administrative offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In addition, Invista is also a stakeholder in two bedding joint ventures in Beijing and Suzhou (Jiangsu Province).

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