Yushiro Chemical Industry

What Yushiro Chemical Industry does

Yushiro Chemical Industry (now operating as Yushiro Inc., 株式会社ユシロ) is a Tokyo-headquartered, publicly traded Japanese specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1945. The company's core business is metalworking fluids — industrial oils and chemical agents used across metal cutting, grinding, and forming processes — where it holds the #1 market share in Asia and serves as a long-tenured supplier to Japan's advanced manufacturing sectors including automotive, aerospace, and electric vehicle production. Adjacent product lines extend the company's formulation capabilities into fluids for brittle materials (glass, ceramics), building maintenance cleaners and disinfectants, railway maintenance products (including the Noise-less Rail friction adjustment line), and the Wizard Series of self-repairing host-guest materials.

Yushiro's most differentiated technology is a proprietary vitamin B2 (riboflavin)-based photocatalyst that operates under visible light for antiviral, antibacterial, and deodorizing applications. This technology underpins the pikyamin sub-brand (with indoor pikyamin HOME and outdoor Oshotono Pikyamin variants) and was the first organic molecular photocatalyst to receive PIAJ certification. In May 2024 the company changed its trade name to Yushiro Inc. to reflect its diversified identity beyond traditional chemicals. The business operates on a one-time-product-sale revenue model with direct B2B field sales for industrial accounts, supplemented by industry exhibitions, trade shows (INTERMOLD, JIMTOF, 鉄道技術展), and a recent direct-to-consumer push via Amazon Japan. Recent strategic moves include a 2026 joint AI project with Tokyo University startup IDATENase to optimize release agent formulations, a partnership with Lion Hygiene to enter the food factory anti-mold market, and continued expansion through a wholly-owned Vietnamese subsidiary recognized among Vietnam's 2025 FDI Excellent Companies.

Name

Yushiro Chemical Industry

Legal name

株式会社ユシロ (Yushiro Inc.)

Website

https://yushiro.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Yushiro Inc. (株式会社ユシロ) is a publicly traded Japanese specialty chemicals manufacturer, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Tokyo, producing metalworking fluids (Asia's #1 market share), photocatalytic antibacterial products, self-repairing materials, and railway maintenance chemicals for industrial and commercial customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Chemicals (Metalworking Fluids)

NAICS

Petroleum Lubricating Oil and Grease Manufacturing (324191), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Heavy-Duty Lubricants (IMAEAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metalworking Fluids (Cutting, Grinding & Forming) (IMAEAMAC), Lubricants, Fluids & Chemical Products Distribution (Oils, Coolants, AdBlue/DEF, Cleaners) (TLAKAOAL)

Keywords

• Metalworking fluids
• Industrial lubricants
• Photocatalytic coatings
• Specialty chemicals
• Building maintenance chemicals

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metalworking Fluids (金属加工油剤): Core product category - industrial fluids used in metal processing and manufacturing. Asia's top market share holder in this segment.
2. Building Maintenance Products (ビルメンテナンス製品): Cleaning, sanitization, and maintenance products including ぴきゃみん photocatalytic deodorizers and disinfectants, hybrid cleaners, and floor care products
3. Photocatalytic Products (光触媒製品): Vitamin-based photocatalytic products for deodorization, antibacterial, and anti-mold applications including indoor and outdoor variants
4. Railway-Related Products (鉄道関連製品): Specialized products for railway maintenance including rail friction adjustment materials (ノイズレスレール), vehicle exterior cleaners, and wheel flange lubricants
5. Brittle Material Processing Fluids (脆性材料用加工油剤): Specialized cutting oils for brittle materials such as glass and ceramics

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Yushiro manufactures and sells metalworking fluids and other specialty chemicals used across metal processing, railway maintenance, building maintenance, and hygiene applications. Its portfolio spans cutting oils and grinding fluids for precision machining (including fluids designed for brittle materials such as glass and ceramics), photocatalytic deodorizers and antibacterial agents built on a proprietary vitamin B2-based photocatalyst, self-repairing host-guest materials, and railway maintenance chemicals such as rail friction modifiers and wheel flange lubricants. The company serves industrial manufacturers, railway operators, and commercial facility maintenance customers primarily through B2B sales channels.

Product overview

Yushiro Chemical Industry operates as a diversified chemical manufacturer offering multiple distinct product lines unified under its 'Yushiro Quality' brand. The core business is metalworking fluids (金属加工油剤), where Yushiro holds the top market share in Asia, supplying oils and chemical agents used across nearly all manufacturing processes in Japan. Adjacent to this, the company offers fluids for brittle materials (脆性材料用加工油剤) for processing glass and ceramics. The building maintenance division (ビルメンテナンス製品) provides disinfecting cleaners, floor care products, and specialty cleaning solutions. A notable differentiated offering is the photocatalytic product line based on Yushiro's proprietary vitamin B2-based visible light-responsive photocatalyst technology, featuring the pikyamin (ぴきゃみん) sub-brand for antibacterial/deodorizing applications, VITALUMINE DP Series for odor solutions, and Hikari Bo-Kabi Gel for anti-mold use. Yushiro also produces self-healing materials under the Wizard Series, railway-related products including the Noise-less Rail brand of friction adjustment materials, and acquired Nihon CB Chemical's product portfolio. The company maintains an Asia-top market share position and emphasizes sustainable, environmentally conscious research and manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ぴきゃみん (Pikyamin): Vitamin-based photocatalyst deodorizing and antibacterial agent product line.
• おそとのぴきゃみん
• ウィザードシリーズ (Wizard Series)
• ノイズレスレール (Noiseless Rail)
• 光防カビゲル

Products and services

• Metalworking Fluids (金属加工油剤) Industrial fluids (water-soluble and neat oils) used across metal cutting, grinding, drawing, and forming processes; supplied to automotive, aerospace, EV, and general precision machining manufacturers in Japan and Asia.
• Fluids for Brittle Materials (脆性材料用加工油剤) Specialized cutting oils formulated for processing brittle non-metallic materials such as glass and ceramics; supports precision machining of non-metallic substrates.
• Building Maintenance Products (ビルメンテナンス製品) Cleaning, disinfecting, floor care, and specialty maintenance solutions for commercial and industrial facilities; targets building maintenance service providers and facilities management customers.
• Photocatalytic Products / pikyamin (光触媒 / ぴきゃみん) Vitamin B2-based photocatalyst deodorizing, antibacterial, and anti-mold agents (indoor and outdoor variants); the first organic-molecule photocatalyst certified by PIAJ.
• Self-Repairing Materials / Wizard Series (自己修復性素材 / ウィザードシリーズ) Self-healing materials based on host-guest chemistry with self-repair capabilities; used in specialized industrial applications requiring damage remediation.
• Railway-Related Products / Noise-less Rail (鉄道関連製品 / ノイズレスレール) Railway maintenance chemicals including rail friction adjustment materials, vehicle exterior cleaners, vehicle floor waxes, and wheel flange lubricants such as Noise-less Rail S and Noise-less Rail D.
• VITALUMINE DP Series Light-based (photocatalyst) odor control product line targeting odor problems at industrial painting sites; addresses VOC and paint-odor complaints in painting facilities.
• Hikari Bo-Kabi Gel (光防カビゲル / Light Anti-Mold Gel) Anti-mold gel that inhibits mold growth using Yushiro's proprietary light-based anti-mold technology without conventional anti-mold chemical agents; co-developed with Nippon Paper Pailia.
• Former Nihon CB Chemical Products (旧 日本シー・ビー・ケミカル製品) Specialty chemical product line inherited from Nihon CB Chemical via merger, covering additional Yushiro Group chemical offerings.
• Mirror-Finish Ceramic Tile Anti-Fouling Coat (鏡面セラミックタイル防汚コート) Anti-fouling coating product for mirror-finish ceramic tile surfaces in building maintenance applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• First organic molecule photocatalyst to receive PIAJ certification
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered notable and strategic.

• Lion Hygiene Co., Ltd. (ライオンハイジーン)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026Joint development partnership for anti-mold solution products targeting the food factory market. Combined expertise in hygiene and photocatalytic technologies
• IDATENase Inc. (株式会社IDATENase)strategicTechnology or Integration · 7 May 2026AI utilization project for release agents (離型剤のAI活用). IDATENase is a University of Tokyo AI startup; joint project to apply AI technology to release agent optimization
• Nippon Paper Papilia Co., Ltd. (日本製紙パピリア株式会社)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2024Joint development of '光防カプゲル' (Light Antifungal Gel) - combining Yushiro's proprietary light antifungal technology with Nippon Paper Papilia's molding technology to create a gel-form product that suppresses mold growth using light without containing conventional antifungal agents

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Hangzhou Hangyang Co., Ltd. Chinese industrial chemicals and metalworking fluid producer; regional competitor operating primarily in China while Yushiro is Japan-led, but both target similar Asian manufacturing customers.

Broad incumbents

• Shell Lubricants (Shell plc): Global lubricants heavyweight with metalworking and industrial fluid products as part of a vast petroleum-derived portfolio; competes with Yushiro at the high-volume end and offers overlapping base-oil capabilities.
• BASF SE: Global chemical major with metalworking fluid additives and specialty chemistry offerings; competes at the additives/formulation input level with Yushiro rather than as a finished-fluid competitor.
• Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Major Japanese petroleum and lubricants producer with industrial cutting fluids and metalworking oils; serves the same Japanese manufacturing base as Yushiro but across a much broader lubricants and petrochemicals portfolio.

Direct peers

• FUCHS SE: German-based global lubricants and specialty fluids manufacturer with a substantial metalworking fluids portfolio; competes directly with Yushiro in industrial lubricant segments and serves overlapping automotive and industrial customers.
• Blaser Swisslube: Swiss precision metalworking fluids specialist serving aerospace, medical, and automotive machining customers; closely comparable to Yushiro's precision manufacturing focus and high-value formulation approach.
• Quaker Houghton: Global leader in industrial process fluids and metalworking fluids; directly competes with Yushiro in the same product category, particularly across Asia-Pacific, with similar chemistry-driven formulations and technical service model.
• CIMcool (Milacron / DuVal): US-headquartered metalworking fluid specialist with strong presence in North America and Europe; competes in the same chemistry-driven fluid formulation space as Yushiro.

Others

• Lion Corporation: Japanese household and hygiene products company partnering with Yushiro (Lion Hygiene) on anti-mold solutions for food factories; adjacent rather than competing, but reflects Yushiro's move into hygiene-adjacent chemistry.

Emerging players

• TOTO Corporation: Japanese ceramics leader and a major producer of TiO2-based photocatalyst products (Hydrel); competes with Yushiro's pikyamin line in the photocatalyst deodorization and antibacterial category, particularly in building applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yushiro-chemical-industry-co-ltd

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Yushiro Chemical Industry