Tokai starts partial operations at new Thai carbon black plant

Tokyo – Tokai Carbon has commenced trial production of carbon black at its new facility in Thailand, the Japanese group announced.

Trial runs began at “a portion” of the plant in June, Tokai said in a shareholders’ briefing on 24 Sept.

For now, the existing and new facilities will operate in parallel, but the group plans to relocate all production to the new site in “the latter half of 2026.”

Tokai started construction work at the THB9.9 billion (€270 million) plant in 2023 with production originally scheduled for April 2025.

Once completed, Tokai will fully relocate operations from its existing 180 kilotonne-per-annum (ktpa) plant in Sriracha, to the new facility which is located at the LK Rubber industrial city hub.

Tokai has been operational in Thailand since 1989 and manufactures carbon black for tire and rubber reinforcement.

According to the group, the Thai unit, Thai Tokai Carbon Product Co. (TCP), has “the greatest production capacity of any single factory” in the group.

Tokai said it expected carbon black demand in Thailand to “enjoy strong growth” on the back of the country’s tire and automotive sectors.

“To ensure long-term stability, and to establish a more sustainable supply structure for TCP, we are relocating our existing plant from a leased site to a Tokai Carbon-owned site,” the group said. 

The new facility is aimed at “capturing growth opportunities,” particularly in higher value-added grades, through “cutting-edge equipment.”

For example, Tokai said it is boosting production of low-grit carbon black for SUV off-road tires and large truck and bus tires.