Teijin Limited announced today it will open its Teijin Composites Application Center (TCAC), a technical centre to develop automotive and other industrial applications of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composite products, in Auburn Hills, Michigan on 1^st April.

The TCAC is part of Teijin Advanced Composites America Inc. (TACA), a company Teijin established in December 2011 to conduct marketing and develop applications for CFRTP composite products. TACA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teijin Holdings USA, Inc., the Teijin Group’s holding company in the United States.

Teijin’s CFRTP composite business is centred on its innovative technology for high volume production of CFRTP components with cycle times of less than a minute, said to be a breakthrough that overcomes one of the biggest challenges in the automotive industry and represents a long stride towards the increasing usage of carbon fibre in automobiles and other products.

In December Teijin signed an agreement with General Motors to co-develop advanced carbon fibre composite technologies for potential high-volume use in GM cars, trucks and crossovers. This co-development will take place at the TCAC.

The opening of the TCAC marks another milestone in Teijin’s global expansion of its carbon fibre composite business. Teijin will continue to develop markets as a global leader in the field of carbon fibre composite products, aiming at annual sales of 150 to 200 billion yen by around 2020.

Teijin is a global technology-driven group operating in eight main fields: aramid fibres, carbon fibres and composites, polyester fibres, plastics, films, medical & pharmaceuticals, fibre products marketing and IT businesses.