Fibers and Textiles In domestic trading, overall sales of nylon fiber increased by a shift to high-margin yarns in apparel applications in addition to increased sales of industrial-use nylon yarns primarily for carpets.
Overall sales of Tetoron polyester fiber declined slightly owing to the shrinking demand for filament yarn, though demand for staple fiber expanded primarily in automotive applications.
Combined with strong showing by Toraylon acrylic fiber, Ecsaine artificial suede and the trading business, overall domestic sales of the sector expanded.
Overseas sales also rose, led by increases at nylon yarn operation for air bag applications and staple-fiber textile operation in Thailand and polyester filament textile operation in China.
At the same time, in response to the steep rise in global raw materials and fuel prices, Toray Group made efforts to transfer the cost increase on to the selling price.
As a result, overall sales of Fibers and Textiles increased to ¥301.8 billion (US$2,560 million) from the same period a year earlier. On the other hand, operating income declined to ¥9.5 billion (US$80 million) on year due to the impact of the steep rise in fuel and raw materials prices.