Sumika Polycarbonate Ltd. has developed a transparent polycarbonate (PC) resin which filters out all but specified light wavelengths. This comes as part of a broader company initiative to speed up...
Automotive
Mitsui Chemicals Pursues US Production for LGFPP
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) announced on Sept. 18 that it intends to set up a new facility for long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (LGFPP) at a U.S. production base for...
ImPACT Program Bears Plenty of Fruit for Smaller, Stronger Car Battery Membranes
Japanese companies have announced a slew of results as of late in relation to next-gen car battery membranes, fostered by Japanese Cabinet Office program Impulsing Paradigm Change through Disruptive Technologies...
Ube Industries Works on Technology for CNF Mass Production
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) is putting the materials technology it has cultivated through its polyamide resin operations to a new use: supporting a development initiative that looks to commercialize cellulose...
Teijin Eyes China After Achieving Tier 1 Status in Europe, North America
Teijin Ltd. (TYO:3401) has achieved Tier 1 status in the European and North American markets with the acquisition of two Tier 1 suppliers: U.S.-based Continental Structural Plastics Inc. (CSP) and...
Toyo Ink Targets Further Growth in India
Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co. Ltd. is launching a range of new operations in India as part of a plan to grow its business in the country. Following a full-scale...
Sumitomo Bakelite Considers New Bases in India, Eastern Europe for High-Performance Plastics
Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd. (TYO:4203) is aiming to further globalize its business for high-performance plastics. While the company already controls production bases in Japan, elsewhere in Asia and in Europe,...
Teijin to Acquire Inapal, Expand Automotive Composites Business in Europe
Teijin Ltd. (TYO:3401) is further expanding its Tier 1 business operations, announcing on Aug. 22 that it plans to acquire Inapal Plasticos SA, a Portuguese-based supplier of automotive composite components....
Fuji Keizai: Global Markets to Grow Significantly for TPE, Synthetic Rubber, Natural Rubber
The next five years are forecast to bring significant growth in the global markets for natural rubber, synthetic rubber and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). According to research from Fuji Keizai Co....
Interview: Nissan’s Manabu Tachibana Discusses New Trends in Interior Materials
The automotive industry has been undergoing a number of notable shifts in recent years, spearheaded by developments in vehicle electrification and autonomous driving. But the realization of such progress necessitates...
Japanese Chemical Companies Take Aim at Europe’s Automotive Market – Part 2
A number of Japanese chemical firms have been targeting the European automotive market with M&A initiatives as of late. Through this, these companies hope to boost their presence in the...
Japanese Chemical Companies Take Aim at Europe’s Automotive Market – Part 1
Japanese automakers currently make up a one-third share of the North American market, but their share in Europe stands in the single digits. This as such has meant that parts...
Tokai Carbon Eyes Increase to LiB Anode Material Production
Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. (TYO:5301) is considering an increase to its production of anode materials for lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs) over the medium term. The company’s output of anode materials...
Asahi Kasei to Acquire Sage Automotive Interiors
Asahi Kasei Corp. (TYO:3407) announced on July 19 that it is set to acquire U.S.-based Sage Automotive Interiors Inc., a major company dealing in automotive interior materials. Sage holds the...
Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello Plans Production Increase for MLCC Release Film
Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello Inc. is planning to boost its production of silicone-coated release film for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). MLCCs are currently seeing rapid popularization due to trends in the...
Toyota Auto Body Moves Closer to Commercialization of Plant-Based Materials
Toyota Auto Body Co. Ltd. is working on auto parts applications for plant-based materials, focusing here on its plant fiber-reinforced resin, noise-absorbing material and cellulose nanofiber. Developed in 2013, the...
Henkel Looks to Reinforce Marketing Efforts Toward Japanese Automakers
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA is preparing to accelerate its marketing efforts aimed at Japanese automakers. As part of this initiative, the German-based adhesives giant has set up a business...
Ueno Fine Chemicals Amplifies Marketing of LCP for Low-Temperature Alloying With Resins
Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry Ltd. is doubling down on marketing efforts for its Tecros line of liquid crystal polymer (LCP), which is able to be alloyed with general-purpose resins. The...
Cataler Develops New Anode Material for Automotive LiBs
Cataler Corp., a leading Japanese manufacturer of purification catalysts for automotive exhaust gas, has developed a new anode material that contributes to improving the output of automotive lithium-ion batteries (LiBs)....
NHK Spring Develops Technology to More Effectively Weld Aluminum, Ultrahigh-Tensile Materials
NHK Spring Co. Ltd. (TYO:5991) has developed a new proprietary technology in the form of clamping spot welding, making it possible now to get an ultrahigh-tensile compound with aluminum. Clamping...
