OSAKA, JAPAN (March 21, 11 a.m. ET) — Japan's Teijin Ltd. will build a $7.9 million composites development center in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Mich., as part of its push to create large-volume carbon fiber production for the auto industry.
The Michigan Economic Development Authority announced the company's plans on March 20. Teijin Advanced Composites America Inc. expects to create up to 25 jobs initially.
Teijin, with corporate offices in Osaka and Tokyo, has said it developed a proprietary process to mold carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic within cycle times of one minute.
In December, it signed an agreement with Detroit-based General Motors Co. to bring the process to auto production, potentially widening the use of carbon fiber beyond specialty cars.