Year | Detail |
1926 |
Kuraray was founded in 1926 as Kurashiki Kenshoku Co., Ltd. in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, to commercialize synthetic rayon. |
1928 |
The company commercialized rayon filament and began producing rayon filament at the Kurashiki Plant. |
1951 |
The company acquired the Ozaki Plant by merging with Japan Spinning and Weaving. |
1955 |
The company ventured with Korenori Unyu Soko Co., Ltd. and established Korenori Hoso Zairyo (now Kuraray Living Co., Ltd.). |
1961 |
The company established Osaka Goseihin Co., Ltd. (now Kuraray Trading Co., Ltd.) |
1968 |
The company established Niigata Kasei Co., Ltd. (now Kuraray Niigata Kasei Co., Ltd.). |
1970 |
The company changed its name to Kuraray Co., Ltd. And established a representative office in Hong Kong (the office functions were transferred to Kuraray Hong Kong Co., Ltd. in 1998). |
1971 |
The company jointly established the nonwoven fabric manufacturing firm Kuraray-Chicopee Co., Ltd. (absorbed into Kuraray in 1987) with Johnson & Johnson of the U.S. |
1983 |
The company established Eval Company of America jointly with Northern Petrochemical Company of the U.S. (became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1991). |
1986 |
The company established Clarino America Corporation, an artificial leather sales company, in the U.S. jointly with Marubeni Corp. (absorbed into Kuraray America, Inc. in 2001). |
1996 |
The company established the PVA manufacturing firm Poval Asia Pte. Ltd. in Singapore jointly with The Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. |
2001 |
The company acquired Clariant AG's PVA-related operations and transferred them to the manufacturing and sales company Kuraray Specialities Europe in Frankfurt, Germany. |
2004 |
The company acquired HT Troplast AG's polyvinyl butyral (PVB) film business and commenced operations as a Kuraray Specialties Europe GmbH division. |
2005 |
The company acquired the VECTRAN high-performance polyacrylate fibers business of U.S.-based Celanese Advanced Materials Inc. and commenced operations as a division of Kuraray America Inc. |
2008 |
Kuraray America, Inc. was merged with Eval Company of America and SEPTON Company of America. |
2014 |
The company acquired the vinyl acetate business, a DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers segment, for $543 million. |
2015 |
The company acquired Plantic Technologies Limited, engaged in the bio-based barrier film business. |
2018 |
The company acquired U.S. Calgon Carbon Corporation, which manufactured and sold activated carbon. |
2022 |
The company expanded the reactivated carbon production facilities of Calgon Carbon’s Belgium subsidiary and started operations. |
2024 |
The company expanded activated carbon production facilities at the U.S.-based Calgon Carbon Corporation’s Pearl River Plant in Mississippi and started operations. |