What Kuraray America Inc. does

Kuraray America, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese specialty chemicals group Kuraray Co., Ltd. (founded 1926, currently in its centennial year). Incorporated in the United States and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Kuraray America operates research and production facilities throughout the country and sources from the parent's global supply network to serve customers across the Americas. Its business spans specialty dental materials, fibers, resins, films, elastomers, and activated carbon, organized around twelve-plus registered product brands.

The product portfolio is anchored by polyamides, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), styrenic block copolymers, and engineered fibers. Key brands include GENESTAR (PA9T heat-resistant polyamide for automotive thermal management and electrical insulation), KURARAY POVAL and EXCEVAL (PVOH-based oxygen, grease, and water barrier coatings for sustainable packaging), EVAL (EVOH barrier resins), SEPTON and HYBRAR (elastomers), VECTRAN (high-performance polyester fiber for aerospace, automotive, and industrial use), TROSIFOL (PVB interlayers for laminated safety glass), PLANTIC (starch-based biopolymer for compostable packaging), CLARINO (man-made leather), dental materials (zirconia-based restoratives and adhesives under Kuraray Noritake Dental), and ELVANOL (industrial-grade PVOH for adhesives and binders).

Kuraray America operates a business-to-business direct-sales model, generating revenue from the sale of specialty chemicals and functional materials to enterprise industrial customers across automotive, packaging, dental, electrical and electronics, food and beverage, architecture and construction, adhesives and sealants, agriculture, air and water treatment, and energy and resources end-markets. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company's go-to-market relies on direct enterprise sales supplemented by industry trade-show participation (e.g., ITB Thermal Management Systems, the American Packaging Summit, Sustainability in Packaging US), a content-rich corporate website, and event-driven customer engagement; it is currently emphasizing PFAS-free barrier coatings, recyclable mono-material packaging systems, and EV-aligned thermal management materials as priority commercial fronts.

Name

Kuraray America Inc.

Legal name

Kuraray America, Inc.

Website

https://kuraray.us.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kuraray America, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese specialty chemicals group Kuraray Co., Ltd., operating research and production facilities across the United States to develop and supply specialty chemicals, barrier resins, engineering plastics, fibers, elastomers, dental materials, and activated carbon for automotive, packaging, dental, construction, and industrial customers in the Americas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals and Functional Materials

NAICS

Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521), Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211)

SIC

Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical & Food-Contact Specialty Compounds (IMANABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bio-based & Biodegradable Polymer Resin Manufacturing (PLA, PHA, PBS, starch blends) (IMANAAAG)

Keywords

• Specialty chemicals
• Functional materials
• Polyvinyl alcohol resins
• Engineering plastics
• Barrier coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Specialty Chemicals and Materials Sales: Kuraray America generates revenue through the sale of specialty chemicals, functional materials, resins, films, elastomers, fibers, activated carbon, and dental materials to industrial customers across multiple sectors including automotive, packaging, construction, and healthcare.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kuraray America, Inc. manufactures and sells specialty chemicals and functional materials — including polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resins and barrier coatings, ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) barrier resins, engineering plastics, elastomers, specialty fibers, activated carbon, and dental materials — to industrial customers across automotive, packaging, construction, electronics, food and beverage, and healthcare sectors. The company operates research and production facilities throughout the United States as the Americas subsidiary of the Kuraray Group.

Product overview

Kuraray America Inc. is a subsidiary of the Kuraray Group, operating as a world leader in specialty chemicals and functional materials. The company offers a diversified portfolio organized around several core product lines: dental materials (including Kuraray Noritake Dental), specialty fibers (VECTRAN, CLARINO), PVOH-based barrier coatings and films (KURARAY POVAL, ELVANOL, EXCEVAL, EVAL), engineering plastics (GENESTAR PA9T for automotive), elastomers (SEPTON, HYBRAR), sustainable packaging solutions (PLANTIC), interlayer products (TROSIFOL), and activated carbon. These products serve diverse applications across automotive, food and beverage packaging, architecture and construction, electrical and electronics, healthcare, and industrial sectors. The company operates research and production facilities throughout the United States and is celebrating its centennial year marking 100 years of innovation in PVOH technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CLARINO: Man-made leather brand
• ELVANOL
• EVAL
• EXCEVAL
• GENESTAR
• HYBRAR
• KURARAY POVAL
• Kurarister
• PLANTIC
• SEPTON
• TROFISOL
• VECTRAN

Products and services

• KURARAY POVAL Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) product line providing oxygen barrier properties, adhesion, and film-forming capabilities for sustainable packaging, adhesives, coatings, and binders.
• ELVANOL Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) product line used in adhesives, coatings, film, and binder applications across industrial customers.
• EXCEVAL PVOH-based barrier coating product line designed to provide oxygen, grease, and water barrier performance while enabling recyclable and re-pulpable sustainable packaging solutions.
• EVAL Ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer resin brand providing barrier properties against gases, aromas, and solvents for packaging applications.
• GENESTAR PA9T heat-resistant polyamide engineering plastic for high-performance automotive applications, offering low water absorption, chemical resistance, moldability, electrical insulation, and thermal resistance.
• SEPTON Hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer (HSBC) elastomer brand providing high-performance elastomer properties for automotive, footwear, and industrial applications.
• HYBRAR Hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer elastomer offering unique viscoelastic properties for various industrial applications.
• VECTRAN High-performance polyarylate fiber offering superior strength, chemical resistance, and dimensional stability for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications.
• CLARINO Man-made leather fiber brand offering specialty fiber products for various industrial and consumer applications.
• TROSIFOL PVB (polyvinyl butyral) interlayer products for laminated safety glass in automotive and architectural applications.
• PLANTIC Thermoplastic starch-based biopolymer platform for sustainable packaging solutions, offering biodegradable and compostable alternatives.
• Kurarister Specialized resin product from Kuraray for specific industrial applications.
• Dental Materials Specialty dental materials including adhesives, cements, and restorative products for dental professionals; Kuraray Noritake Dental is a key global player in zirconia-based dental materials.
• Activated Carbon Activated carbon products for air and water treatment, purification, and filtration applications.
• Chemicals & Elastomers Specialty chemicals and elastomer products including SEPTON and HYBRAR brands for various industrial applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 years of continuous innovation in specialty chemicals

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Avient: Specialty polymer materials company offering engineered materials, specialty additives, and sustainable solutions for healthcare, packaging, and industrial applications. Overlaps with Kuraray's compounding and specialty materials offerings.

Broad incumbents

• DuPont: Diversified specialty materials giant with comparable positions in engineering plastics, barrier resins, and electronics materials. Broader portfolio and scale than Kuraray America but overlapping in automotive, packaging, and electronics applications.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group: Major Japanese chemical conglomerate with broad specialty polymers, engineering plastics, and barrier materials portfolio competing across multiple of Kuraray America's end-markets including automotive and packaging.
• Eastman Chemical: US specialty chemicals producer with comparable positions in specialty plastics, barrier resins, and advanced materials for packaging, automotive, and consumer durables. Directly comparable customer base and product categories.
• BASF: World's largest chemical company with extensive engineering plastics, barrier materials, and specialty polymers serving automotive, packaging, and industrial customers. Sets competitive pricing benchmarks in many of Kuraray's segments.

Direct peers

• Sekisui Chemical: Japanese chemicals company and direct competitor to Kuraray's TROSIFOL PVB interlayer business for laminated safety glass in automotive and architectural applications. Strong technology overlap in interlayer films.
• Arkema: French specialty chemicals major with overlapping positions in PVOH-adjacent barrier materials, performance polymers, and advanced materials serving automotive, packaging, and electronics. Closely comparable product mix including high-performance polyamides and bio-based materials.
• Celanese: US-based specialty materials company with engineered polymers (including polyamide and acetal) and acetyl chain products directly competing in automotive engineering plastics, similar to Kuraray's GENESTAR franchise.
• Solvay: Belgian specialty chemicals and advanced materials producer with strong positions in polyamides (comparable to GENESTAR PA9T), specialty polymers, and barrier materials for automotive, packaging, and electronics end-markets.
• Asahi Kasei: Japanese diversified materials company with overlapping specialty chemical, engineering plastic, and barrier resin businesses. Direct competitor in performance polymers for automotive and electronics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kuraray America Inc.