Kaneka to start carbon-fiber prepreg manufacture in North America

Kaneka Aerospace LLC, the Benicia, CA–based wholly owned affiliate of Japan’s Kaneka Corp. (Tokyo), plans to manufacture high-performance thermoset resin prepregs in the U.S. Since acquiring U.S. formulated resin manufacturer Applied Poleramic Inc. in September 2017, the company further augmented its presence in the aerospace sector through the acquisition of the benzoxazine-based, high-performance composites business from Henkel in January 2018. Kaneka Aerospace now plans to leverage these acquisitions to carry out carbon-fiber prepreg manufacture in North America employing benzoxazine and other matrix resins.

Details regarding start-up date and capacity were not revealed. However, Kaneka Aerospace is targeting revenue of ¥20 billion ($180 million) by 2025 in the aerospace and space sector.