Asahi Kasei Fibers to close US subsidiary
Spandex manufacturer Asahi Kasei Fibers is to introduce a
series of restructuring measures to improve profitability. As a part of this
process, the manufacture and sale of spandex at its US subsidiary, Asahi Kasei
Spandex America, will cease.
Asahi Kasei Fibers markets spandex products under two
different brands. The first is Roica, with superior performance features
enabled by integrated production from raw material to finished yarn based on
the company’s proprietary technology. The other is Dorlastan, acquired from the
Lanxess Group of Germany in 2006, which is produced at plants in the US and Germany.
According to the company, the global spandex market has
been extremely challenging in recent years, with oversupply putting downward
pressure on rs prices even as feedstock costs remain persistently high.
Conditions have been particularly tough in the US.
