Zeon Corp. (TYO:4205) and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) have entered into a partnership contract to integrate their solution-styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) business operations under a joint venture firm to be established on Dec. 8. According to the contract, ZS Elastomers Co. Ltd. (ZSE) will be established as a wholly owned Zeon subsidiary using a capital investment of 450 million...
Materials

Acquisition by Dow Chemical Creates Synergies, Complements Business: Dow Corning Toray CEO Sakurai
Dow Chemical Co.’s (TYO:4850) chemical technologies will complement Dow Corning Corp.’s high-growth silicone business sector, a point of pride in the company, and other segments in which demand is expected to grow in future, said Dow Corning Toray Co. Ltd. CEO Eriko Sakurai at a recent press seminar held on Nov. 29. Talking about Dow Chemical’s full acquisition of Dow...
Shin-Etsu Polymer Looks to Get Active in M&As
Shin-Etsu Polymer Co. Ltd. (TYO:7970) plans to solidify and build upon its current position by seeking out companies to acquire, CEO Yoshiaki Ono has revealed. Viewing the establishment of new business as critical to extending company performance over the mid–long term, the manufacturer of silicone goods and other chemical products is looking to get active in M&As. In terms of...
Zeon to Increase Drying Capacity for HNBR
Sales are strong for Zeon Corp.’s (TYO:4205) hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) Zetpol elastomers with improved heat resistance, which can withstand temperatures 20 degrees Celsius higher than conventional Zetpol products. Along with the increased use of dry products in gasket and oil seal applications, the use of latex products as treating agents for core wires in timing belts is also growing....

Asahi Kasei Publicly Unveils Fifth-Generation S-SBR at IRC 2016
Asahi Kasei Corp. (TYO:3407) publicly unveiled its fifth-generation solution styrene butadiene rubber (S-SBR) during the Rubber & Elastomer Technical Exhibition at IRC 2016 Kitakyushu. The company exhibited XF and XB grades from the new series. Although they had been shown to engineers at conferences, this is the first time for the company to exhibit the grades publicly. Deliveries are already...
Tokai Carbon Increases Price for Carbon Black as Oil Continues to Rise
Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. (TYO:5301) has increased the price of its carbon black products by 3 yen per kilogram. The change was implemented for deliveries beginning Nov. 1, applying to all varieties of carbon black. A release from the company stated that the price of raw oil used in carbon black has been rising incrementally since bottoming out at the...