Materials

Kraton Raises Prices of Kraton D-Series SBS and Related Products

Kraton Polymers Japan has increased the prices of domestically produced Kraton D-Series SBS, oil-extended SBS, and SIS by 34 yen ($0.23) per kilogram, effective with shipments on or after October 1. The company said that this price adjustment is necessary in light of continued cost increases since 2022, including expenses related to facility maintenance, logistics, packaging materials, and labor. Despite...

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Mitsui Chemicals Links R&D Closer to Business to Accelerate Innovation

Mitsui Chemicals has implemented an organizational restructuring effective October 1 aimed at strengthening its research and development framework and accelerating product development. The company has separated its development divisions from the Research & Development Headquarters and reassigned them under the three designated growth areas—Mobility (including the Elastomers Business), Life & Healthcare, and ICT—so that each business division is now directly...

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Sumitomo Rubber and Tohoku University Visualize Strain-Induced Crystallization Distribution in Rubber

Sumitomo Rubber, in collaboration with professors at Tohoku University’s Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, has succeeded in visualizing the nanometer-scale distribution of strain-induced crystallization inside polyisoprene rubber, a synthetic polymer with the same chemical structure as natural rubber. In general, when rubber is subjected to large deformations, the polyisoprene molecular chains are stretched, causing strain-induced crystallization, which is...

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Kuraray Reports Lower Sales and Profits in First Half

Kuraray announced results for the first half of fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. Consolidated net sales came to 399.95 billion yen ($2.70 billion), down 2.7% year on year. Operating income fell 42.2% to 26.26 billion yen, ordinary income dropped 51.7% to ¥21.28 billion, and net income declined 53.9% to 14.04 billion yen. In segment performance, the isoprene business recorded...

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LANXESS Holds Press Briefing and Solutions Day in Japan

On August 19, LANXESS Japan held a press briefing at Otemachi Mitsui Hall in Chiyoda, Tokyo, coinciding with the visit of a board member from the company’s headquarters in Germany. Since its spin-off from the Bayer Group in 2004, LANXESS has grown through strategic acquisitions, including the 2008 purchase of Brazil’s Petroflex Chemicals Group, becoming one of the world’s leading...

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Sumitomo Riko Launches Operations at New Chemical Products Plant

Sumitomo Riko held an inauguration ceremony for its new chemical products plant at the Komaki Plant in Komaki City, Aichi Prefecture. The new facility, named the SG Building (Sumitomo Riko Green Transformation Building), began phased operations in August and is scheduled to be fully operational by December. The plant was constructed as part of a broader renewal project at the...

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