Toray celebrates commissioning of expanded TORAYCA T1100 production capacity at Decatur, Alabama carbon fiber plant

Toray Composite Materials America, Inc., the leading manufacturer of advanced composites, celebrated the commissioning of the upgraded carbon fiber production line in its Decatur, Alabama, facility. The $15 million upgrade doubles the production capacity of the TORAYCA T1100 carbon fiber and adds critical redundancy to support the rising demand for defense applications. Toray's T1100 carbon fiber is vital to several United States Department of Defense (DoD) weapons systems and the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

Congressman Dale Strong of the Fifth Congressional District of Alabama delivered the event's opening remarks and highlighted Toray's contributions to national defense.

"I’m thrilled to see Toray's commitment to investments in Decatur and North Alabama,” says Congressman Strong. “Toray provides high performance carbon fibers which are critical to our defense industrial base and national security. I want to thank them for their investment in Alabama and wish them continued success.”

Major General Tom O'Connor, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, participated as the featured guest in a policy discussion led by former Commander of the Army Material Command, retired General Paul Kern. The discussion focused on the importance of a strong domestic industrial base following the January 11, 2024 release of the Department of Defense's inaugural National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS).

Other esteemed guests included a cross-section of local and federal government, industry, and academia.

Toray has already begun production using this new capability and is in the process of qualifying the new line with several customers.

"Our team in Decatur worked tirelessly to advance the commissioning of our upgraded carbon fiber production line to support the strong demand from the defense industry,” says Dennis Frett, President of Toray Composite Materials America. “As the DoD prioritizes developing a resilient supply chain as part of the NDIS, Toray's focus is to ensure that we are doing our part to produce and increase material availability for various defense programs."

Toray is the largest carbon fiber and prepreg producer in the United States. The Decatur Plant has operation lines from precursor to carbon fiber and is one of three Toray manufacturing facilities. The company has other locations in Tacoma, Washington, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, producing precursor, carbon fiber, and prepreg. Toray's comprehensive portfolio of carbon fiber composite materials supports customers in aerospace and defense, industrial, and automotive industries.