PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals

What PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals does

PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals is a privately held Indonesian industrial chemicals manufacturer and a subsidiary of Kao Corporation Japan, established in 1977 and headquartered in Karawang, West Java. The company operates within the Kao Group's global Chemical Business, producing and distributing a comprehensive portfolio of oleochemicals and performance chemicals to industrial customers across Indonesia. It functions as the Group's manufacturing and commercial platform in Indonesia, with 501-1,000 staff deployed across a Karawang production facility (consolidated from the former Tambun plant in 2013-2014) and a Bekasi sales office serving the Greater Jakarta industrial corridor.

The product offering spans three primary categories: fat and oil derivatives (fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty amines, esters, glycerin), surfactants across all four ionic types (anionic, cationic, amphoteric, nonionic), and functional additives tailored to specific end-use industries. Functional additives address agrochemicals, construction chemicals, casting chemicals, food processing, leather, metal treatment, paints and inks, plastics and rubber, pulp and paper, precision cleaning, and water treatment. Key product brands include KALCOL (fatty alcohols) and FARMIN (fatty amines). A proprietary digital product search platform enables customers to compare product features and select materials by industry or function category. Underlying operations are supported by Kao's proprietary Comprehensive Management System for Chemical Substances (with a Master Index for traceability) and Substance Volume Tracking (SVT) for regulatory compliance under CSCL and REACH.

The company operates a sales-led, B2B distribution model, engaging industrial customers directly with technical support for product selection and formulation. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based per order volume and customer specification. The go-to-market emphasizes direct enterprise engagement combined with the broader Kao Group distribution network spanning Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Customer segments span industrial manufacturing (primary), food processing, agrochemicals, and consumer products manufacturing. Sustainability is positioned centrally through the Kirei Lifestyle Plan and Responsible Care verification, reinforced by EcoVadis Platinum (2020) and Gold (2019) ratings and a fifth consecutive JIPS Award (2021) for chemical-related initiatives.

Name

PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals

Legal name

PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals

Website

https://chemical.kao.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals is a Karawang-based B2B manufacturer of oleochemicals, surfactants, and functional additives for Indonesian industrial customers, operating as a subsidiary of Japan's Kao Corporation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Chemicals

NAICS

Surface Active Agent Manufacturing (325613), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Surfactants & Performance Additives (IMAEABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plasticizers & Solvents (Phthalates/Alternatives, Commodity Solvents) (IMAEADAK), Surfactants & Detergent Intermediates (LAB/LAS, Ethoxylates, Sulfonates) (IMAEADAL)

Keywords

• Industrial surfactants
• Fatty chemicals
• Oleochemical products
• Specialty chemical additives
• Chemical manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Karawang, West Java

HQ country

Indonesia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Product Sales: B2B sales of industrial chemicals including surfactants, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty amines, esters, plasticizers, and specialty additives to various manufacturing industries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals manufactures and sells industrial chemicals in three main categories: (1) Fat and Oil Derivatives including fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty amines, esters, amide waxes, and glycerin; (2) Surfactants across anionic, cationic, amphoteric, and nonionic types; and (3) Functional additives for industries including agrochemicals, construction, casting, food processing, leather, metal treatment, paints and inks, plastics and rubber, pulp and paper, and precision cleaning. Products are sold under brand series including KALCOL (fatty alcohols) and FARMIN (fatty amines).

Product overview

PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals operates as part of the Kao Group's global Chemical Business, offering a comprehensive portfolio of oleo chemical products and performance chemicals. The company provides three main product categories: (1) Fat and Oil Derivatives including fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty amines, esters, amide waxes, and glycerin; (2) Surfactants spanning anionic, cationic, amphoteric, and nonionic types; and (3) Functional additives for industries including agrochemicals, construction, casting, food processing, leather, metal treatment, paints and inks, plastics and rubber, pulp and paper, precision cleaning, and water treatment. The company also offers a digital product search platform for material selection. Products are sold under various brand series including KALCOL (fatty alcohols), FARMIN (fatty amines), and other specialty chemical brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fat and Oil Derivatives (fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty amines, esters, glycerin) Range of oleo-derived chemicals including industrial and refined stearic acids, oleic acids, single-cut and blended fatty alcohols (including JP grade), fatty amines and diamines, fatty acid esters with monohydric/polyhydric alcohols, glycerol fatty acid esters, monoglyceride esters, polyol esters, polybasic acid esters, ethylene bis fatty amides, alkyl amine acetates, amide waxes, and food/cosmetic/JP-grade refined glycerin for use as chemical inputs in industrial manufacturing.
• Anionic, Cationic, Amphoteric, and Nonionic Surfactants Comprehensive surfactant range including alkyl benzene sulfonates, alkyl sulfates, fatty acid salts, polymeric and reactive surfactants, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether derivatives, alkyl amine salts, quaternary ammonium salts, alkyl amine oxides, alkyl betaines, alkyl dimethyl aminoacetic acid betaines, alkyl hydroxy sulfobetaines, alkoxylated glycerin, alkyl imidazolines, fatty acid alkanolamides, polyglycerin fatty acid esters, polyoxyalkylene derivatives, polyoxyethylene alkyl amines, polyoxyethylene fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, and sorbitan fatty acid esters for industrial cleaning and formulation applications.
• Functional Additives for Industrial Applications Specialty additives used as formulating ingredients across agrochemicals, construction, casting, food processing, leather, metal treatment, paints and inks, plastics and rubber, pulp and paper, and precision cleaning applications. Includes agrochemical adjuvants (anticaking, antifoaming, antistatic, dispersants, emulsifiers, tank mix adjuvants, thickeners, wetting agents), construction chemicals (asphalt additives, concrete admixtures, gypsum board admixtures, superplasticizers), casting chemicals (alkaline phenol CO2 hardening resins, furan self-hardening catalysts, mold paints, releasing agents), food industry chemicals (bitter masking agents, food emulsifiers, MCT, mold release fats), leather industry chemicals (emulsifiers for lubricants, grease base oils, oiliness agents), metal treatment chemicals (corrosion inhibitors, metal cleaners), paints and inks additives (antistatic, defoaming, dispersants, emulsifiers, film forming auxiliaries, leveling agents, polyamide resins, rust inhibitors, thickeners, wetting/penetrating agents), plastics and rubber chemicals (anionic emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization, antifogging agents, antistatic agents, polyurethane catalysts, plasticizers including PVC plasticizers, polymerization agents, release agents, rubber processing auxiliaries), pulp and paper chemicals (bulking agents, defoaming agents, deinking agents, dispersants, felt cleaning agents, process cleaning agents), and precision cleaning agents (cleaners for electronic components, flux and solder paste, liquid crystal panels, wafer slicing, dry film resist strippers, surface treatment agents).
• Product Search Platform Online product search platform that enables users to compare features and properties of products and select materials matching their needs across industries including agrochemicals, cosmetics, detergents, plastics, rubbers, textiles, and water treatment.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kao Corporation JapancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1977Parent company and primary technology provider. PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals was established in 1977 as a joint-venture between Kao Corporation Japan and local parties. In 1996, shareholder changes occurred and the company was renamed to PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals major with a substantial surfactants and oleochemicals portfolio serving personal care, coatings, and industrial markets. Comparable in the specialty additives and surfactant value chain PT KIC operates in, though as a global broad-line incumbent rather than a regional player.
• Croda International: UK-listed specialty chemicals company focused on sustainable oleochemical-derived ingredients for personal care, coatings, and industrial markets. Comparable in moving up the value chain from commodity surfactants to specialty performance additives, though with global not regional footprint.
• Wilmar International (Oleochemicals): One of Asia's largest palm-based oleochemical producers with extensive fatty acid, fatty alcohol, and surfactant manufacturing in Indonesia and Malaysia. Broadly comparable in feedstock (palm) and product chemistry, though operating at significantly larger scale as part of a diversified agribusiness conglomerate.

Direct peers

• IOI Oleochemical: Palm-based oleochemicals producer that is also Kao's JV partner in both Malaysian entities and indirectly connected to PT KIC's PT Apical Kao Chemicals. Comparable as a fully integrated palm-to-surfactant/fatty acid producer in Southeast Asia.
• Kao Oleochemical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Wholly owned Kao Corporation subsidiary in Malaysia, established 1991 producing EB Wax (ethylene bis alkylamide) and oleochemical derivatives from fatty acids. Closely comparable in product chemistry (fatty acid derivatives) and within the same Kao Group umbrella.
• Emery Oleochemicals: Major global oleochemicals producer headquartered in Malaysia with plants producing fatty acids, fatty alcohols, glycerin, and specialty surfactants. Directly comparable for the fatty chemicals / surfactant portfolio that forms the core of PT KIC's offering.
• Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Thailand-based Kao chemical subsidiary serving the Thai and broader ASEAN industrial chemicals market. Directly comparable as a regional Kao oleochemical/surfactant producer targeting similar downstream industries (plastics, paints, agro, consumer products).
• Fatty Chemical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Joint venture between Kao Corporation Japan and IOI Oleochemical (1988), the first Malaysian producer of fatty alcohols from palm kernel oil. Directly comparable given the shared fatty alcohol / surfactant chemistry and JV structure with PT KIC's PT Apical Kao Chemicals.
• Kao Plasticizer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. Sister company within the Kao Corporation chemical network, a JV with IOI Oleochemical established in 1996 producing plasticizers and additives for plastics/PVC. Directly comparable as a regional Kao chemical manufacturing subsidiary operating in oleochemical derivatives.
• Pilipinas Kao, Inc. Kao's Philippine chemical subsidiary operating within the same Chemical Business network. Comparable as a regional Kao entity serving Southeast Asian industrial surfactant and oleochemical customers with shared product lines and group support.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kao-indonesia-chemicals-pt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 PT. Kao Indonesia Chemicals