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Home / Washington Business - September/October 2006 / Industry Profile - Composites: Lighter, stronger, faster |
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Industry Profile - Composites: Lighter, stronger, faster |
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Written On: September/October 2006 |
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Written By: by Daniel Brunell |
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Could the same material in your golf driver be part of the next airplane you fly in? You bet. Carbon fiber is revolutionizing the aviation industry, and Toray Composites (America) Inc. is leading the way.
In the 14 years since it started, Toray has expanded its carbon fiber operation twice on its 25-acre Frederickson site in central Pierce County, with more than $100 million invested. Currently, the plant has a staff of about 300; however, with future expansion Toray could employ as many as 500 workers.
The key to carbon fiber’s popularity is its strength and lightness. For example, an aircraft panel that weighs 28 pounds if made from aluminum and steel would weigh only 8 pounds if made of carbon fiber. The carbon fiber panel is also stronger than the metal one. Carbon fiber can be made into larger sections with fewer joints, resulting in a more aerodynamic airplane.
Private, military, and commercial airplane manufacturers are now using high-strength carbon fiber materials. For example, 60 percent of the new Boeing 787 will be constructed from carbon fiber composite material. This makes the 787 a very light aircraft for its size, enabling it to operate from relatively short airstrips as compared to the current Boeing 767. Yet, the 787 will still have the capability to fly long-haul distances of more than 8,000 miles.
We hear a lot in the media about outsourcing, but more and more international companies are coming to the United States to do business. A primary reason is to better protect proprietary technology. International heavyweights such as BP, Toyota, T-Mobile, Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, and Sony all have huge workforces in the United States. Tens of thousands of smaller international firms also have a stake in the U.S. economy.
Established in 1926 as Toyo Rayon, Toray is now the world’s leading manufacturer of synthetic fibers and textiles, with 238 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Last year, Toray’s sales topped $12 billion. Toray is a highly diversified company with holdings in plastics and chemicals, information technology, textiles, environmental engineering, life sciences, and carbon fiber composite materials. Carbon fiber composites makes up only 4 percent of Toray’s revenue, yet it is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the company.
Toray’s Tacoma operation is fascinating. Spools of carbon fiber thread, sourced primarily from Toray’s plant in Alabama, are the primary raw material for the process. The carbon fiber strands are unidirectionally aligned and impregnated with a heat-sensitive epoxy coating, producing carbon fiber "prepreg." The material is then shipped to manufacturers around the world to be used in everything from golf clubs and high-performance car parts to medical equipment, human prosthetics, and aircraft.
"The aircraft manufacturing market represents the largest growth opportunity for our business," said Mark Burggren, senior vice president of operations at Toray. "It’s not just the large Boeing jets that are using this, but more and more manufacturers in the private civilian market are turning to carbon fiber. As of right now, the supply for aircraft-quality carbon fiber prepreg outstrips our supply."
In 2004, Boeing selected Toray as the U.S. supplier of carbon fiber composite materials to be used in the primary structural elements of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Toray will supply carbon fiber composite materials to Boeing through 2021, an unprecedented total of 18 years. The total value of the deal is estimated at approximately $3 billion. This figure will increase if other composite materials get approval from Boeing and the FAA.
In 2006, Toray won AWB’s Manufacturer of the Year Award for its innovations. "Toray is one of the local leaders in developing new processes, using new materials and developing their workforce in response to their new partnership with Boeing," said John Vicklund, president of Washington Manufacturing Services. "Toray has shown itself to be an industry leader and a model business to which others can look up. We are very proud to present Toray with this award."
One of Toray’s most innovative employee benefits is on-site college courses. In partnership with Pierce College, Toray has put together a certificate program consisting of a series of nine college courses that are taken on-site after work. Upon completion, employees earn a certificate in supervision and management. In 2005, Toray had 25 employees take courses, with 12 completing the program and earning the certificate.
Toray and its employees are also dedicated to giving back to the community. Food and blood drives are carried out periodically, and, in 2005, the company and employees together contributed almost $45,000 to the United Way. In 2004, Toray was one of Pierce County’s top-25 contributors to charitable causes. "I like to think of us as the ideal neighbor," said Burggren. "We emit almost no waste, we are active in the community, and we offer good-paying, high-tech jobs."
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