Lanxess doubled the production capacity of benzyl alcohol at its site in Kalama, Washington, USA, to support the growth of its established customer base in the Americas. The Kalama site currently serves as the central hub in a network of four manufacturing sites around the world that produce high-purity benzyl alcohol. The doubling of production capacity there will enable rapid...
Materials
Sumitomo Riko Announces Medium-Term Management Plan
On May 30, President Kazushi Shimizu of Sumitomo Riko announced the Sumitomo Riko Group Vision 2029 (2029V) and the Sumitomo Riko Group Medium-Term Management Plan 2025 (2025P). Under 2025P, which begins in fiscal 2023, the company aims to increase consolidated net sales from 541 billion yen ($3.87 billion) in fiscal 2022 to 620 billion yen and business profit from 17.9...
Tosoh to Make Decision on CR Capacity Expansion Within Fiscal Year
Tosoh will make a decision on the expansion of its chloroprene rubber (CR) plant, which the company is currently considering, within the current fiscal year, company president Mamoru Kuwada said at a management briefing meeting held on May 24. The company is considering increasing the capacity of its Nanyo Complex (Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture), which currently produces 37,000 tons per...

Mitsubishi Chemical to Launch New Grades of Plant-Based Bioengineering Plastics
Mitsubishi Chemical has in May begun offering samples of the Durabio plant-derived bioengineering plastics D93 Series, a new grade of Durabio with a higher degree of biomass plasticity. Durabio is a bio-based engineering plastic made from isosorbide, a renewable plant-derived raw material that reduces the consumption of petroleum, a depletable resource, and also contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases...
Sumitomo Chemical to Withdraw From S-SBR Production in Singapore
Sumitomo Chemical will withdraw from the production of solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) in Singapore by the middle of 2024 as part of the company’s restructuring process. The S-SBR plant in Singapore started commercial production in 2014. Its production capacity is 40,000 tons per year. Although the company will withdraw from S-SBR production in Singapore, it will continue production at its...
Asahi Kasei Posts 10.8% Growth in Net Sales
Asahi Kasei reported net sales of 2.72 trillion yen ($19.69 billion), up 10.8% from the previous fiscal year, operating income of 128.352 billion yen, down 36.7%, ordinary income of 121.53 billion yen, down 42.7%, and a net loss of 91.31 billion yen (compared to 161.88 billion yen profit). Sales reached a record high. The environmental solutions business, which includes synthetic...