Kureha Corporation

What Kureha Corporation does

Kureha Corporation is a Japan-headquartered, Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed (ticker 4023) specialty materials company founded in 1944. It operates three business segments — Advanced Materials, Specialty Chemicals, and Specialty Plastics — and manufactures high-performance polymers including PVDF (KF Polymer brand), polyphenylene sulfide (Fortron KPS), polyglycolic acid (Kuredux), pitch-based carbon fiber (KRECA), and microspheres, alongside activated carbon, agrochemicals, and pharmaceutical products. The company is vertically integrated from monomer synthesis through finished polymer products and serves industrial customers across aerospace, automotive, electronics/semiconductors, energy storage (battery separators and binders), medical devices, agriculture, and water treatment.

The company runs a B2B enterprise field-sales go-to-market, supplemented by channel partnerships (notably the Kuraray alliance in activated carbon) and direct regional sales offices in Düsseldorf (Europe), the United States, China, and Vietnam, supported by 24 consolidated subsidiaries globally. Revenue is generated through negotiated long-term supply contracts with industrial OEMs under a non-disclosed pricing model. Approximately 4,000 employees are based in Japan with consolidated headcount of roughly 4,400, and consolidated net sales exceed 100 billion yen.

Kureha has been actively repositioning its portfolio, establishing a New Business Division in April 2023, the KF Project in November 2023, and an Innovation and Technology Department in July 2024 to accelerate R&D and commercialization. In December 2025 it acquired biopesticide and microbial interaction analysis technology through Kureha America to seed a global Life Science business, and in March 2026 it made a strategic seed investment in Z-Polymers paired with a joint development agreement to commercialize Z-Polymers' Tullomer liquid crystal polymer platform for additive manufacturing applications.

Name

Kureha Corporation

Legal name

KUREHA CORPORATION

Website

https://www.kureha.co.jp/en/

Company type

Public

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Kureha Corporation is a Tokyo-listed Japanese specialty materials company that manufactures high-performance polymers (PVDF, PPS, PGA, carbon fiber) and chemicals for industrial customers in aerospace, automotive, electronics, energy storage, medical, and water-treatment applications globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Polymers and Chemicals

NAICS

Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211), Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Polymers & Resins (Engineered Materials) (IMAEABAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Specialty polymers
• Fluoropolymer materials
• Engineering plastics
• Specialty chemicals
• Advanced carbon materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advanced Materials Sales: Manufacturing and sale of specialty polymer products including PVDF, PPS, PGA, and carbon fiber. Primarily a business-to-business model with long-term supply contracts with industrial customers.
2. Specialty Chemicals Sales: Sale of specialty chemical products including activated carbon (with Kuraray), agrochemicals, and pharmaceutical ingredients.
3. Specialty Plastics Sales:

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kureha Corporation manufactures and sells specialty polymers, specialty chemicals, and specialty plastics across three business segments: Advanced Materials (PVDF, PPS, PGA, carbon fiber, microspheres), Specialty Chemicals (pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, industrial chemicals, activated carbon), and Specialty Plastics (household food wraps, commercial food packaging films, fishing lines). The company sells primarily to industrial manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, electronics, energy storage, water treatment, medical, and agriculture sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEWクレラップ: Household food plastic wrap product line
• Krewrap
• キチントさんシリーズ
• クレハロン
• Krehalon Film
• シーガー
• SEAGUAR
• KRECA
• KF Polymer
• Kuredux
• Fortron KPS

Products and services

• Fortron KPS (Polyphenylene Sulfide / PPS) A high-temperature engineering thermoplastic (polyphenylene sulfide) supplied to industrial manufacturers in automotive, electronics, and industrial applications requiring chemical resistance, thermal stability, and dimensional stability.
• KF Polymer (Polyvinylidene Fluoride / PVDF) A high-performance fluoropolymer (PVDF) supplied to industrial customers for battery separators, electrode binders, chemical processing equipment, and other applications requiring electrochemical stability, chemical resistance, and durability.
• KF Piezo (PVDF Piezoelectric Film) A piezoelectric film product based on PVDF fluoropolymer technology, used in sensors, actuators, and other electronic applications requiring piezoelectric functionality.
• KRECA (Pitch-based Carbon Fiber) Pitch-based carbon fiber materials supplied to industrial manufacturers for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications requiring high strength-to-weight performance and durability.
• BAC (Activated Carbon) Activated carbon products supplied for water treatment, environmental remediation, and industrial filtration applications, distributed through the Kuraray partnership.
• Kuredux (Polyglycolic Acid / PGA Resin) Biodegradable polymer (polyglycolic acid / PGA) supplied to industrial customers for packaging, medical, and industrial applications requiring superior gas barrier properties and biodegradability.
• Kureha Microspheres Polymer microsphere products supplied to industrial customers for use as lightweight fillers, additives, and functional materials in specialty applications.
• Kremezin / Kovaljin (Pharmaceuticals) Pharmaceutical products under the Specialty Chemicals business segment supplied for therapeutic applications.
• Metconazole (Agrochemical) A triazole-class fungicide agrochemical supplied for crop protection applications.
• Ipconazole (Agrochemical) A triazole-class fungicide agrochemical supplied for crop protection and seed treatment applications.
• Industrial Inorganic Chemicals Industrial inorganic chemicals supplied to industrial customers for chemical processing and manufacturing applications.
• Industrial Organic Chemicals Industrial organic chemicals supplied to industrial customers for chemical processing and manufacturing applications.
• NEW Kurewrap (Household Food Plastic Wrap) Household food plastic wrap product supplied to consumer retail channels for food storage and preservation applications.
• Kichinto Series (Household Goods) Household goods product series supplied to consumer retail channels.
• Krehalon Film (Commercial Food Packaging Film) Commercial-use food packaging film supplied to industrial food processors and packaging customers requiring shrink film and barrier properties.
• Seaguar (Fishing Line) Fishing line products supplied to consumer and commercial fishing markets.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Z-PolymerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Kureha made a strategic investment in Z-Polymers, an advanced materials company specializing in high-performance polymer development for additive manufacturing and 3D printing applications. The partnership focuses on developing and commercializing LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) materials and other advanced 3D printing feedstocks, leveraging Z-Polymers' material innovation capabilities and Kureha's polymer manufacturing expertise and global distribution network.
• Z-PolymerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Kureha backed Z-Polymers' LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) innovation for 3D printing and advanced manufacturing applications, representing a co-development and technology commercialization partnership.
• KurarayminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKureha partners with Kuraray in the activated carbon business, where Kuraray distributes Kureha's activated carbon products through its distribution network for water treatment and environmental applications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 3M Company: Diversified materials and chemicals company with overlapping fluoropolymer and specialty adhesive offerings, competing with Kureha in industrial and electronics end markets under a much larger portfolio.
• Asahi Kasei: Diversified Japanese materials and chemicals company with specialty polymer, separator, and engineering plastics businesses that overlap with Kureha's PVDF battery materials, specialty plastics, and chemicals segments.
• Toray Industries: Japanese advanced materials leader with extensive carbon fiber, polymer, and chemical businesses that directly overlap with Kureha's KRECA carbon fiber, specialty plastics, and chemicals portfolio, particularly in aerospace and automotive.
• Honeywell International: Diversified industrial conglomerate whose Performance Materials and Technologies segment includes fluoropolymers, specialty chemicals, and advanced materials that compete with Kureha across aerospace, energy storage, and industrial customers.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group: Large Japanese chemical and specialty materials group with broad polymer, carbon fiber, and chemicals offerings that compete with Kureha across multiple segments including engineering plastics, carbon fiber, and specialty chemicals.

Direct peers

• Solvay (now Syensqo): Global specialty chemicals company with strong fluoropolymer and advanced polymer portfolios that directly overlap with Kureha's PVDF, PPS, and specialty resins offerings across energy storage and electronics.
• Kuraray: Japanese specialty chemicals and polymers company that is both a channel partner for Kureha's activated carbon business and a peer in specialty resins and chemicals, with overlapping capabilities in functional materials and water treatment.
• Arkema: A leading global specialty chemicals producer and direct competitor in PVDF through its Kynar fluoropolymer brand, serving battery, electronics, and industrial markets comparable to Kureha's KF Polymer line.
• Daikin Industries: Japanese fluoropolymer and chemicals manufacturer competing with Kureha in PVDF and other fluorinated specialty materials, with similar geographic positioning and customer base in electronics and industrial markets.
• Celanese Corporation: Global engineered materials producer whose Ticona PPS and acetyl chain businesses directly overlap with Kureha's Fortron KPS and specialty polymer offerings for automotive and electronics applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments4 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Kureha Corporation