Kureha Corporation

Kureha Corporation
Native name	株式会社クレハ
Type	Public KK
Traded as	TYO: 4023
ISIN	JP3271600003
Industry	Chemicals
Founded	June 21, 1944; 77 years ago
Headquarters	Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku,Tokyo, 103-8552, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Yutaka Kobayashi; (President and CEO)
Products	Functional materials; Specialty chemicals; Plastics;
Revenue	JPY 147.3 billion (FY 2017) (US$ 1.39 billion) (FY 2017)
Net income	JPY 9.7 billion (FY 2017) (US$ 91.5 million) (FY 2017)
Number of employees	4,374 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2018)
Website	Official website
	Footnotes / references;

Kureha Corporation (株式会社クレハ, Kabushiki-gaisha Kureha) is a Japanese manufacturer of specialty chemicals, polymers and agrichemicals.^[3]

Corporate affairs[]

Kureha Chemical Industries is a member of the Mizuho keiretsu.

Products[]

Polyglycolic acid[]

One of the company's long term investments is in polyglycolic acid (PGA). The company developed a mass scale manufacturing technique for the chemical, which has been a development project of the company since the early 90s.^[4] The company has stated a strategy of committing to invest in PGA for a long period, patiently waiting for market demand to develop.^[4] To manufacture PGA, the company invested 100 million in a manufacturing facility in Belle, West Virginia to be located nearby a Dupont plant that produces glycolic acid, a primary feedstock for PGA.^[4]

Polyphenylene sulfide[]

Kureha is the world's largest producer of polyphenylene sulfide, a heat-resistant polymer is used in industrial applications such as automotive electronics.^[4] The polymer its produced at the company's site in Iwaki, Japan^[5] and in Wilmington, United States by Fortron Industries, a joint venture of Kureha and Celanese.^[6]

References[]

^ "Corporate Profile". Kureha Corporation. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
^ "About the company". Financial Times. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
^ Umemura, Maki (March 2, 2011). The Japanese Pharmaceutical Industry: Its Evolution and Current Challenges. Taylor & Francis. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-136-82825-6.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d McCoy, Michael (April 28, 2008). "Kureha's Gamble: Japanese firm goes to West Virginia to build novel chemical plant". Analyst (London). Chemical & Engineering News. ISSN 0009-2347. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
^ "Business Roundup". Analyst (London). 96 (15). Chemical & Engineering News. April 9, 2018. ISSN 0009-2347. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
^ "Celanese increases Fortron PPS productiont". Composites World. Gardner Business Media. August 16, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2018.