Harima Chemicals Group

What Harima Chemicals Group does

Harima Chemicals Group is a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese specialty chemical manufacturing holding company founded in 1947, organized as a pure holding company since October 2012 with operating subsidiary Harima Chemicals Co., Ltd. The company operates four primary business segments: Resins and Chemicals (printing ink resins, paint resins, adhesive resins, synthetic rubber emulsifiers, functional coating agents, tall oil products); Paper Chemicals (sizing agents, paper strength agents, barrier coat agents, and pitch control agents for paper manufacturing); Electronic Materials (lead-free solder pastes, aluminum brazing materials, conductive pastes for automotive ECUs, ADAS modules, and printed circuit boards); and LAWTER (global rosin-based specialty chemicals platform acquired from Momentive Specialty Chemicals in 2011).

The company's core technology platform is pine chemicals processing, including rosin processing, tall oil distillation, resin synthesis, emulsification/dispersion, and metal bonding technologies. Harima holds the only domestic crude tall oil refining capability in Japan and operates the world's first fully closed-system tall oil distillation plant (completed 1973). The group serves industrial B2B customers across automotive electronics, paper and packaging (FDA, BfR, GB9685 compliant for food contact), printing ink, coatings, and adhesives, with manufacturing and sales operations spanning Japan, China, Czech Republic, USA, Belgium, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, India, and New Zealand. Overseas sales represent approximately 60% of total revenue of 103.7 billion JPY for the fiscal year ending March 2026.

The business model is B2B direct enterprise sales through wholly-owned subsidiary networks including LAWTER (15+ group companies), Harimatec (solder materials), Plasmine Technology (paper chemicals), Harima Foods, and Nippon Filler Metals. Revenue is generated from negotiated multi-year contracts for specialized chemical formulations rather than commodity distribution. Strategic priorities evidenced in the data include the 2022 Henkel solder materials acquisition, expansion into bio-manufacturing (myrcene, zeta-carotene, lycopene), development of EV battery binders and semiconductor packaging materials, and ongoing R&D in low-temperature sinterable silver nanoparticles.

Name

Harima Chemicals Group

Legal name

ハリマ化成グループ株式会社

Website

https://harima.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Harima Chemicals Group is a Japanese specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1947 that produces pine-derived resins, paper chemicals, and lead-free solder materials for automotive electronics, packaging, printing, and coatings customers through a global network of subsidiaries including LAWTER and Harimatec.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Cyclic Crude, Intermediate, and Gum and Wood Chemical Manufacturing (325194), Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521), Fats and Oils Refining and Blending (311225)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Fats & Oils (2070), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Textile, Leather & Paper Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAM)

Keywords

• Pine chemicals
• Paper chemicals
• Electronic materials
• Industrial resins
• Tall oil distillation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Resins and Chemicals: Manufacturing and sales of printing ink resins, coating resins, adhesive resins, synthetic rubber emulsifiers, functional coating agents, and tall oil products derived from pine chemicals.
2. Paper Chemicals: Manufacturing and sales of sizing agents, paper strength agents, coating/barier coat agents, and process improvement chemicals/pitch control agents for paper production.
3. Electronic Materials: Manufacturing and sales of solder paste, aluminum brazing materials, conductive pastes for printed circuit boards, and semiconductor functional resins for automotive and consumer electronics.
4. LAWTER Business: Printing ink resins, adhesive resins, synthetic rubber emulsifiers, aromatics, and rosin derivatives through LAWTER operations globally.
5. Other Operations: Warehouse operations, hotel and golf course management, real estate management, cleaning chemicals, and food products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harima Chemicals Group manufactures and sells pine chemicals-derived industrial materials across three business segments: Resins and Chemicals (printing ink resins, paint resins, adhesive resins, synthetic rubber emulsifiers, tall oil products); Paper Chemicals (sizing agents, paper strength agents, coating/barrier coat agents, pitch control agents for food packaging); and Electronic Materials (lead-free solder pastes, conductive pastes, copper pastes for through-holes, silver nanoparticle pastes, aluminum brazing materials for automotive electronics). The company is Japan's only producer of tall rosin and tall oil fatty acids from crude tall oil, leveraging proprietary pine chemicals technology with over 75 years of expertise.

Product overview

Harima Chemicals Group operates as a pure holding company managing three core business segments: (1) Resins and Chemicals Business covering printing ink resins, paint resins, adhesive resins, synthetic rubber emulsifiers, functional coating agents, and tall oil products; (2) Paper Chemicals Business providing sizing agents (Haresu L-50, NeuRoz series), paper strength agents (Hermaid C-10, T2, KS series), barrier coat agents (Highcoat BC series), and pitch control agents (AS-02) for food packaging applications; and (3) Electronic Materials Business manufacturing lead-free solder pastes (automotive-grade, halogen-free, fine-pitch, 0201 chip compatible), conductive pastes, copper pastes for through-holes, silver nanopastes, and aluminum brazing materials. The Group also operates LAWTER, a global business acquired in 2011 producing ink/adhesive resins and aromatic chemicals from rosin feedstocks, with manufacturing across Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The company leverages pine chemical technology, the only domestic producer of tall oil rosin in Japan, alongside core competencies in resin synthesis, emulsification/dispersion, and metal joining technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LAWTER: Printing ink resins, adhesive resins, tall oil products brand operating across North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, China, Korea
• Harimatec
• Harimatec Czech
• Plasmine Technology

Products and services

• Lead-Free Solder Paste
• Aluminum Brazing Materials
• Sizing Agents (Haresu L-50, NeuRoz Series)
• Paper Strength Agents (Hermaid Series)
• Coating and Barrier Coat Agents (Highcoat BC Series)
• Printing Ink Resins
• Paint and Coating Resins
• Adhesive Resins
• Synthetic Rubber Emulsifiers
• Tall Oil Products (Tall Oil Rosin, Tall Oil Fatty Acids)
• LAWTER Business (Ink Resins, Adhesive Resins, Aromatic Chemicals)
• Myrcene
• Zeta (ζ)-Carotene
• Copper Paste for Through-Holes
• High-Adhesion Silver Nanopaste
• Pitch Control Agent (AS-02)
• Functional Coating Agents

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Henkel AG & Co. KGaAcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2022In June 2022, Harima Chemicals Group acquired commercial rights and assets from Henkel's solder materials business, expanding its electronic materials capabilities globally.
• Momentive Specialty ChemicalscoreTechnology or IntegrationIn January 2011, Harima acquired the rosin-related business of Momentive Specialty Chemicals (formerly Ashland's Hercules business) and operates it as LAWTER.
• SunPine ABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarima invested in Sweden's SunPine AB for tall rosin production, achieving annual production capacity of 20,000 tons in 2016. SunPine produces biodiesel fatty acids from crude tall oil and cooperates with Harima for tall rosin production.
• Takasago International CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTakasago International Corporation took a capital stake in Harima's LAWTER subsidiary in March 2020, supporting the fragrance and aroma business.
• Pine Chemicals Association, Inc.minorOthersIndustry association for pine chemicals (naval stores) industry, originally founded as Tall Oil Association in 1947 and renamed Pine Chemicals Association in 1988.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• DIC Corporation: DIC is a major Japanese manufacturer of printing inks, pigments and related resin materials; it overlaps with Harima's printing ink resin business and LAWTER's ink binder line.
• Eastman Chemical Company: Eastman produces resin intermediates, specialty plastics and additives for inks, coatings and packaging; its broader portfolio competes with Harima's ink, paint and adhesive resin lines, though at much larger scale.
• Solvay S.A. Solvay is a global specialty chemicals company with broad overlap in surfactants, additives and bio-based chemistries; several of its product families compete with Harima's emulsifiers and functional coating agents.

Regional players

• Toyobo Co., Ltd. Toyobo is a Japanese specialty materials and chemicals producer with adjacent resin, paper and packaging chemistries; relevant as a domestic competitor in Japan with overlapping industrial B2B customers.

Direct peers

• DRT (Dérivés Résiniques et Terpéniques): DRT is a leading French pine chemicals specialist producing rosin, terpene and tall oil derivatives for adhesives, ink and rubber markets; it competes head-to-head with Harima in pine-based specialty chemicals globally.
• Senju Metal Industry Co., Ltd. Senju is a Japanese leader in solder materials and electronic joining products; it directly competes with the Harimatec brand in lead-free solder pastes for automotive and consumer electronics.
• Kraton Corporation (now part of DL Chemical): Kraton is the world's largest producer of tall oil-based pine chemicals including rosin, terpenes and specialty resins; it directly overlaps Harima's resin, rosin and emulsifier portfolio across printing inks, adhesives and rubber applications.

Emerging players

• Indium Corporation: Indium Corporation is a major US-based supplier of solder paste, flux and electronic assembly materials; it competes with Harimatec in fine-pitch and automotive-grade solder pastes.
• SunPine AB: SunPine produces crude tall oil derivatives (biodiesel fatty acids, tall oil rosin) in Sweden, partly via Harima's investment and technology; it represents an emerging European pine chemicals producer relevant to Harima's upstream sourcing strategy.

Others

• Plasmine Technology, Inc. (subsidiary reference): Plasmine is actually a Harima subsidiary (paper sizing and rosin chemicals); included as a reference to legacy Georgia-Pacific Chemicals rosin business now part of Harima; relevant for historic competitive context in paper sizing additives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Harima Chemicals Group