Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) is gearing up to expand its Thai and Spanish production of polycarbonate diol (PCD), a raw material for polyurethane. With plans to bring in new technologies to increase productivity without increasing facilities, Ube Industries is seeking to increase its total capacity by roughly 30 percent, from 11,000 tons per annum at...
ube industries
China Eager to Move Toward OLED as LCD Replacement
China is the world’s largest producer of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) but is now actively investing in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as a means to replace LCD technology. OLED production lines with Japanese manufacturing equipment have been established in the country, as China hopes to improve yield, productivity and quality to make a full-scale entry...
Chemical, Materials Firms Set to Exceed 1 Trillion Yen in Capital Investments for 2017
Investments in plant and equipment by major chemical and materials companies during fiscal 2017 are set to total 1.18 trillion yen ($10.62 billion), increasing 20 percent over the previous year’s total, which was less than 1 trillion yen. The wide margin of increase comes on top of levels of investment that were already high, owing...
Major Chemical Companies Achieve Soaring Profits on Back of Favorable Petrochemical Market – Part 1
Major Japanese chemical companies have released their financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2017, with each reporting an increase in net profit. Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042) and Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) in particular saw large profit margins, as the companies rode favorable petrochemical market conditions. Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TYO:4188) displayed strong sales of...
Chemical Companies Compete to Develop Polymide for Flexible Displays – Part 2
Competition surrounding the development of polymide (PI) is heating up in the chemical industry. Being targeted for PI development are flexible display boards for mobile devices such as smartphones. Major PI manufacturer Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) is particularly strong with PI film for two-layer copper clad laminate (CCL). The company has been actively marketing its...
Digest: Chemical Price Hike Announcements for Week of March 20
A series of price hikes were announced by chemical companies during the week of March 20 – March 24. Unless noted otherwise, all price increases listed here are per kilogram. In caustic soda, Asahi Kasei Corp. (TYO:3407) will raise prices by no less than 10 yen ($0.09) for products with 97-percent solid conversion on April...
Ube Industries Targets Cell Culture Applications With PI Porous Membranes
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) is moving into the life sciences field with cell culture applications for its polyimide (PI) porous membranes. The membranes have a three-dimensional structure with countless pores that facilitate the growth of cell cultures and have been found to accommodate long-term cell culture. Plate cultures using Petri dishes are subject to limitations...
Four Major Chemical Companies Anticipate Record Profits for Fiscal 2016
Eight major chemical companies have announced their earnings for April through December 2016. Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042) and Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) recorded healthy profits as a result of robust earnings from petrochemical products and basic chemicals. Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd.’s (TYO:4063) profits were driven by Shintech Inc., the company’s U.S.-based polyvinyl chloride subsidiary. Seven companies...
Mitsubishi Chemical to Supply Europe With Battery Electrolytes From US Plant
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. is increasing its efforts to supply components of lithium-ion batteries (LiBs), an area of the automotive industry in which strong growth is anticipated. The is setting out to supply European manufacturers with products made at its battery electrolyte plant in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is unusual for battery electrolytes to...
Mitsui Chemicals Builds New LiB Electrolyte Solution Plant in Nagoya
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) announced on Nov. 14 the completion of a new factory at Nagoya Works to produce electrolyte solutions used in lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs). The company possesses an electrolyte solution factory in China, but in Japan it has until now contracted out production to other in-group companies. The new factory will commence...
Mitsubishi Chemical and Ube Industries to Launch Electrolyte Joint Venture in China
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) announced on Oct. 13 that they will work together in China with a lithium-ion battery (LiB) electrolyte business. The companies will invest even shares in the venture and aim to begin operations under the new agreement by April 2017, as they look to enhance their competitive strength...
CO2 Gas Prices Buoyed by Loss of Production Capacity
Japanese carbon dioxide (CO2) gas prices are poised to rise amid a depletion of crude gas, a by-product of successive closings of facilities at domestic ammonia plants and oil refineries. As CO2 suppliers respond by working to increase production capacity, they are hoping that their plans to pass new construction and distribution costs on to...
Ube Industries to Boost Battery Separator Production
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) is increasing production capacity at its plant in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, of separators used in lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs). Construction of new production facilities at the Sakai factory is already under way, slated for completion in June 2017. But the decision was made to invest in yet greater production capacity increase...
Ube Industries, Sojitz Looking to Produce Ammonia in Vietnam
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) and Sojitz Corp. (TYO:2768) have concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Petrovietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Corp. (PFC), a fertilizer manufacturer under the umbrella of state-owned Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, also known as Petrovietnam. The MOU is for the establishment of an ammonia plant with an annual production of 500,000...
Ube Industries Completes Osaka R&D Center
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) has completed work on its Osaka R&D Center, located within the company’s Sakai Factory in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, and established through a 3 billion yen ($29.288 million) investment. A ceremony for the center’s opening was held on Aug. 2 and had an attendance of 50 people, including President and Representative...
Ube Industries to Absorb Mitsubishi Heavy’s Injection Molding Business
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) announced on July 29 that it will merge the injection molding machinery business operations of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI; TYO:7011) with its own. Ube Machinery Corp. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ube Industries, will acquire 85 percent of shares in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Plastic Technology Co. Ltd. on Jan....
