What Cataler does

Cataler Corporation (株式会社キャタラー) is a Japanese privately-held catalyst manufacturer founded in 1967 and headquartered in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture. The company develops and manufactures exhaust gas purification catalysts — including ceramic and metal honeycomb catalysts coated with precious metals — that convert harmful gasoline and diesel exhaust emissions (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides) into nitrogen, water, and carbon dioxide. Its portfolio spans catalysts for passenger gasoline vehicles, diesel trucks, motorcycles, marine engines, and general-purpose equipment, with proprietary differentiated products such as HC-SCR (Hydrocarbon Selective Catalytic Reduction), NSR (NOx Storage-Reduction), and GPF (Gasoline Particulate Filter) catalyst systems.

The company's business model is a B2B OEM-embedded supply relationship, selling catalytic converter sub-assemblies directly to automotive manufacturers for integration into vehicle production lines. Its most significant customer relationships include Toyota Motor Corporation (a co-development partner since Cataler's founding, supplying fuel cell electrode catalysts used in the Toyota MIRAI) and Hino Motors (which adopted Cataler's HC-SCR catalyst for JP16-compliant diesel medium and small trucks, earning multiple technical awards). Beyond traditional ICE catalysts, Cataler is positioning into next-generation mobility through fuel cell electrode catalysts and battery carbon materials for electric vehicles, and operates a wholly-owned South African subsidiary (Cataler South Africa) serving the African market.

Cataler manufactures globally and reports a cumulative 150 million catalytic converter (CNA) units shipped as of May 2026. The company operates as an independent private corporation with no disclosed parent company or public listing, and is led by President and Representative Director Masashi Ishida (appointed June 2023, succeeding Hiroaki Sunagawa). The firm holds a Deming Prize for quality management and maintains ISO 45001 certification at its South African operations, while pursuing a publicly-stated long-term vision to grow carbon-neutral and CO2-reduction-related products into a major business pillar by 2070.

Name

Cataler

Legal name

株式会社キャタラー

Website

https://cataler.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cataler Corporation is a Japanese privately-held manufacturer of automotive exhaust gas purification catalysts, supplying OEM-embedded catalyst systems to automakers including Toyota and Hino Motors for gasoline, diesel, motorcycle, and next-generation fuel cell and electric vehicle applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Emission Control Catalysts

NAICS

Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Emissions Control Catalysts (DeNOx/DeSOx/DOC/CO Oxidation) (IMAEAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Petrochemical & Polymerization Catalysts (IMAEAIAB)

Keywords

• Automotive emission catalysts
• Exhaust gas purification
• Catalyst manufacturing
• Diesel NOx reduction
• Fuel cell catalysts

Headquarters

HQ city

Kakegawa

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Exhaust Gas Purification Catalysts: Core revenue stream from开发和制造汽车排气净化触媒 for gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, motorcycles, and general-purpose engines. Includes metallic catalysts and ceramic filters with catalyst coatings.
2. Fuel Cell Electrode Catalysts: Electrode catalysts for fuel cell electric vehicles, contributing to next-generation mobility solutions.
3. Battery Carbon Materials: Carbon materials for electric vehicle batteries, part of growing next-generation automotive battery material business.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cataler develops and manufactures exhaust gas purification catalysts for gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, motorcycles, and general-purpose engines, using ceramic and metal honeycomb substrates with precious metal coatings. The company also produces next-generation materials including fuel cell electrode catalysts for FCEVs and carbon materials for EV batteries.

Product overview

Cataler is a catalyst manufacturer that develops, manufactures, and sells exhaust gas purification catalysts. The product portfolio includes: (1) main exhaust gas purification catalysts for gasoline vehicles (with sub-products: GPF catalysts, NSR catalysts, SRR-MIX restart NOx suppression material, pCP new oxygen storage material), diesel vehicles (HC-SCR catalysts), motorcycles, general-purpose engines, and marine applications; (2) fuel cell electric vehicle electrode catalysts used in Toyota MIRAI; and (3) battery carbon materials for electric vehicles. The company also offers flow synthesis services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CATALER inside: Registered trademark used to indicate Cataler's catalysts are installed in vehicles

Products and services

• Exhaust Gas Purification Catalysts (排出ガス浄化触媒) Main product line of catalysts for gasoline vehicles, diesel vehicles, motorcycles, general-purpose engines, and marine applications. Converts harmful exhaust gases (HC, CO, NOx) into harmless substances (nitrogen, water, carbon dioxide) through oxidation-reduction reactions, supplied as OEM-embedded components to automotive manufacturers.
• GPF Catalyst (Gasoline Particulate Filter Catalyst) Gasoline Particulate Filter catalyst that removes particulate matter (PM) from direct-injection gasoline engines while providing three-way catalytic purification functionality, enabling space and cost savings compared to adding a separate GPF.
• NSR Catalyst (NOx Storage-Reduction Catalyst) NOx Storage-Reduction catalyst that efficiently reduces NOx to nitrogen (N2) in lean burn engines. Stores NOx during lean burn and reduces it during rich combustion using hydrocarbons as reducing agent.
• HC-SCR Catalyst (Hydro Carbons Selective Catalytic Reduction Catalyst) Diesel vehicle catalyst system that uses hydrocarbons decomposed from fuel as reducing agent instead of urea, eliminating the need for urea water tank and contributing to vehicle space savings, particularly for medium to small trucks.
• Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Electrode Catalysts (燃料電池電気自動車用電極触媒) Electrode catalysts for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) that determine output performance and hydrogen fuel efficiency. Used in Toyota MIRAI and other fuel cell vehicles.
• Battery Carbon Materials for Electric Vehicles (電動車両向け電池用炭素材料) Carbon materials for batteries in electric vehicles, part of next-generation battery material business growing steadily alongside electrode catalysts.
• General-Purpose Engine Catalysts (汎用エンジン用触媒) Catalysts for small engines used in lawn mowers, brush cutters, chain saws, and other gardening equipment, as well as marine engines for water bikes and gas engine cogeneration systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• NOx reaction efficiency improved by 20% through optimized precious metal and storage material placement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hino Motors (日野自動車)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Hino Motors adopted Cataler's HC-SCR catalyst technology for their medium and small diesel trucks meeting JP16 emissions regulations. Cataler received multiple technical awards from Hino including Technical Development Excellence Award (2020) and Technical Development Award Excellence Award (2018).
• Toyota Motor Corporation (トヨタ自動車)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerToyota is a key partner as Cataler developed exhaust gas purification systems jointly with Toyota from the company's founding. Cataler supplies fuel cell electrode catalysts for Toyota MIRAI and is part of Toyota's supply chain for emissions control technology.
• Toyota South Africa (TSAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCataler South Africa (CSA) received a letter of appreciation from Toyota South Africa in November 2022 for equipment recovery cooperation following severe flooding in April that year. CSA staff helped accelerate TSAM's production restart.
• Chubu Electric Power Miraiize (中部電力ミライズ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCataler participates in the Enshu Decarbonization Project led by Chubu Electric Power Miraiize, a regional initiative with companies in the Shizuoka Enshu area focused on solar power and decarbonization.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Denso: Toyota Group-affiliated automotive component manufacturer that produces catalytic converters and exhaust system components. As a fellow Toyota supplier with catalyst manufacturing capability, Denso is the most direct Japanese competitor to Cataler for Toyota's emission control programs.
• Ibiden: Japanese manufacturer of ceramic honeycomb substrates for automotive catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters. Comparable to Cataler as a Japan-based emissions component specialist serving global OEMs, with overlapping customer relationships among Japanese automakers.
• NGK Insulators: Japanese manufacturer of ceramic substrates used inside catalytic converters, the structural honeycomb on which Cataler's precious metal coatings are applied. NGK is both a complementary supplier and a vertically integrated competitor offering complete catalyst systems.
• Tenneco Clean Air: Major Tier-1 supplier of emission control products including catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters, and SCR systems. Competes with Cataler as an OEM supplier to global automakers, with a comparable product portfolio in gasoline and diesel emission control.

Broad incumbents

• Johnson Matthey: UK-based global leader in autocatalysts and precious metal chemistry, with deep OEM relationships across Europe, North America, and Asia. Direct competitor to Cataler in three-way catalysts, diesel oxidation catalysts, and NOx reduction systems for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles.
• BASF Catalysts: Division of BASF, one of the largest global suppliers of automotive emission control catalysts. Competes with Cataler across gasoline TWC, diesel SCR, and emissions catalysts for major global OEMs, with broader geographic reach and larger R&D budget.
• Umicore: Belgium-based materials technology group with strong positions in automotive catalysts and fuel cell electrode catalysts. Direct overlap with Cataler in PGM-based emission catalysts and fuel cell catalysts for FCEV applications.
• Faurecia (FORVIA): Major French Tier-1 supplier of exhaust systems and emission control technologies, including catalytic converter assemblies. Competes with Cataler in supplying European OEMs with integrated exhaust aftertreatment systems and has larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Emerging players

• Heraeus Precious Metals: German precious metals and catalyst specialist with growing presence in automotive catalysts and fuel cell electrode catalysts. Comparable to Cataler in PGM-based emission control and FCEV electrode catalyst technology, though smaller in overall automotive catalyst share.

Regional players

• Mitsubishi Motors (Mitsubishi Materials): Japanese conglomerate with catalyst-related divisions serving the domestic Japanese OEM market. Less direct overlap than Tier-1 specialists, but comparable as a Japanese materials/catalyst supplier operating primarily in the Japan domestic automotive supply chain.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/catalerofficial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOzFJ6v4wfg6_0sgkRSB5qA
• Facebookfacebook.com/cataler.official
• Instagraminstagram.com/cataler_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cataler-north-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Cataler