Artificial silk known as rayon was the yarn that started to spin the success story of Kuraray. 90 years have passed since the stock exchange listed Japanese company was founded on June 24, 1926. To mark this day, Kuraray Europe GmbH (KEG) has created a 90-years-landing-page which summarizes the highlights of nearly a century of corporate history.
The first German representative office opened in 1965. Today KEG is located in Hattersheim am Main running additional sites in Köln-Troisdorf und Frankfurt am Main.
“Our 90th anniversary is a good time to review our achievements of the past years – and to look into the future“, says Dr. Matthias Gutweiler, executive manager of KEG.
Pioneering spirit – the basis for global success
Kuraray’s success is strongly related to its pioneering spirit. It was the first company in the world to develop a technology for the mass production of polyvinyl alcohol (Kuraray Poval®). From a base of polymer and synthetic chemistry, the Kuraray Group has built a unique and advanced system of technologies by fusing related technologies and expertise. Today Kuraray products can be found in many areas of daily life: in paper, textiles, packaging materials, printing inks, paints, adhesives, water-soluble films and technical ceramics. Under the Trosifol® brand name Kuraray produces PVB films for laminated safety glass for automotive, architecture and solar glass applications.
Important pillars: environmental protection and safety
Growth and responsibility go hand in hand at Kuraray. As a chemical company, Kuraray is committed to the principles of Responsible Care and aware of our responsibility for future generations. That includes the safety of employees, avoiding the environmentally harmful consequences of industrial production, reducing energy consumption inside facilities and developing new products and technologies that protect the environment.
Visions that come alive
Kuraray sets high standards to itself and aims at providing unique, innovative products that help find solutions to global challenges and improve the quality of life. Developing new products and applications and moving into new areas of business have high priority at Kuraray. However, the company does not only focus on business success but also regards itself as part of the society and accepts its social responsibility. The company actively engages in a wide range of activities that contribute to the well-being of communities: In Europe this includes collaborations with schools, universities and other educational institutions, supporting the Christmas in a Shoebox gift campaign as well as the participation in the Malteser Social Day.
Employees first
From its beginnings Kuraray cared for its employees. In the 1920’s the first president Magosaburo Ohara prepared decent dormitories for young workers and also prepared fitness facilities and kindergartens. Today it is the main objective of Kuraray Group Global Human Resources (HR) to ensure that each employee can work in a way which leads to personal growth. This includes the promotion of diversity, fostering of human resources, fair evaluation of performances, as well as establishing a healthy corporate culture.
One thing is for sure: Kuraray will continue to pursue its corporate mission for the following 90 years.
All the best and happy birthday!
About Kuraray Europe
The Kuraray Group is an expanding, stock exchange listed specialty chemicals company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with around 8,300 employees and annual sales of about EUR 4 billion. Kuraray Europe GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered in Hattersheim am Main and has around 800 employees. Kuraray is one of the largest suppliers of polymers and synthetic microfibers and an international leader in the development and use of innovative high-performance materials for many industries.
For further information, please visit www.kuraray.eu.
