What UBE Corporation does

UBE Corporation is a Japanese diversified chemical and machinery manufacturer founded in 1897 and headquartered in Ube, Japan, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 4208.T. The company operates two principal business segments: Chemicals and Machinery. The Chemicals segment spans over 20 product categories including polyimide films (where UBE holds the world No.1 position in LCD Chip-on-Film applications), battery electrolyte solvents, caprolactam, nylon, fine chemicals, and pharmaceutical intermediates. The Machinery segment produces injection molding machines and other industrial equipment. As of March 2025, the company had 7,563 consolidated employees and FY2024 consolidated revenue of ¥486.8 billion (approximately $3.2 billion USD).

UBE serves B2B customers across the Battery/EV, Electronics, Automotive, and Industrial end markets through direct enterprise sales, with approximately 54% of FY2024 revenue generated overseas. The company maintains five R&D facilities focused on chemical and pharmaceutical innovation, including the Future Tech Laboratory and dedicated pharmaceutical laboratories. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with specialty chemicals B2B conventions. The company is positioning itself toward higher-growth verticals—particularly lithium-ion battery materials—through the 2025 Louisiana plant investment for electrolyte solvents, the April 2025 LANXESS Urethane Systems acquisition, and a -50% greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 versus FY2013 to align with customer decarbonization mandates.

Name

UBE Corporation

Legal name

UBE Corporation

Website

https://ube.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

UBE Corporation is a Japanese diversified chemical and machinery manufacturer producing polyimide films, battery electrolyte solvents, caprolactam, and injection molding equipment for B2B customers in battery/EV, electronics, automotive, and industrial sectors globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), All Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (32599)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Electronic & High-Purity Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAD)

Keywords

• Specialty chemicals manufacturing
• Polyimide film production
• Battery electrolyte materials
• Engineering plastics resins
• Industrial chemical products

Headquarters

HQ city

Ube

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 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. Chemical Products Sales: UBE generates revenue primarily through the sale of chemical products including nylon resins, polyimide films, urethane systems, elastomers, battery materials, separation membranes, caprolactam, fine chemicals, industrial chemicals, ceramics, and semiconductor gases
2. Machinery Products Sales: UBE operates in machinery business including die casting machines for EV components, contributing to diversified revenue streams
3. Pharmaceutical Products: UBE develops and manufactures pharmaceutical products including drug candidates, with licensing partnerships in the healthcare sector

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

UBE Corporation manufactures and sells a diversified portfolio of specialty chemicals and industrial machinery. Its chemical segment includes polyimide films (world No.1 share in LCD display COF applications), nylon resins, urethane systems (acquired from LANXESS in April 2025), elastomers, battery materials including electrolyte solvents, separation membranes, caprolactam, high-purity chemicals for semiconductor manufacturing, and pharmaceutical products. Its machinery segment produces ultra-large die casting machines used in EV component manufacturing.

Product overview

UBE Corporation operates two main business segments: Chemicals and Machinery. The Chemicals division offers a broad portfolio of approximately 20+ product categories including polyimide films (world No.1 in LCD COF applications), nylon resins, elastomers, phenol resins, battery materials for lithium-ion batteries (including electrolyte solvents with a major Louisiana plant expansion), separation membranes, caprolactam, fine chemicals, industrial chemicals, ceramics, liquefied gases, high-purity chemicals, polyethylene, semiconductor gases, household/industrial packaging, inorganic fibers, fertilizers, urethane resin materials, and pharmaceuticals. The company acquired LANXESS's Urethane Systems business in April 2025, and is restructuring its caprolactam operations as part of strategic repositioning. The Machinery division includes ultra-large die casting machines for EV components. The product portfolio serves diverse industries including automotive, electronics, semiconductors, energy storage, agriculture, and healthcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UBE COLORS: UBE brand site showcasing company initiatives and brand identity.

Products and services

• Nylon Resin (ナイロ樹脂) Engineering plastic resin used in automotive, electronics, and industrial applications. UBE claims a strong market position in this category.
• Polyimide Film (ポリイミド) High-performance polymer with world-leading No.1 share in LCD display COF (Chip on Film) applications. Used in flexible electronics and high-temperature insulation.
• Urethane Systems (ウレタンシステムズ)
• Elastomers (エラストマー) Rubber materials including polybutadiene rubber used in automotive tires, industrial rubber goods, and EV components.
• Phenol Resin (フェノール樹脂) Phenolic resins for industrial applications including composites, adhesives, and molded parts.
• Battery Materials (電池材料) Materials for lithium-ion batteries including electrolyte solvents. UBE is identified as a major player in the battery electrolyte solvents market and is constructing its first U.S. plant in Louisiana.
• Separation Membranes (分離膜) Membrane separation technology for water purification, chemical processing, and industrial filtration applications.
• Caprolactam (ラクタム) Intermediate chemical for nylon production. UBE has been restructuring its caprolactam operations as part of strategic repositioning in the polyamide industry.
• Fine Chemicals (ファインケミカル) Specialty chemical compounds for pharmaceutical and industrial applications.
• Industrial Chemicals (工業薬品) General industrial chemical products including acids and processing chemicals.
• Ceramics (セラミックス) Advanced ceramic materials for industrial and electronic applications.
• Liquefied Gases (液化ガス) Industrial liquefied gases for various chemical and manufacturing processes.
• High Purity Chemicals (高純度薬液) High-purity chemicals for semiconductor and electronics manufacturing applications.
• Polyethylene (ポリエチレン) Polyethylene polymer materials for packaging and industrial applications.
• Semiconductor Gas Products (半導体ガス関連製品) Specialty gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes.
• Household and Industrial Packaging (家庭用品/産業用包装材) Consumer household products and industrial packaging materials.
• Continuous Inorganic Fiber (無機長繊維) Continuous inorganic fiber materials for composite reinforcement applications.
• Fertilizer (肥料) Agricultural fertilizer products.
• Urethane Resin Materials (ウレタン樹脂材料) Urethane resin raw materials for various urethane-based product manufacturing.
• Pharmaceuticals (医薬) Pharmaceutical products and drug candidates. UBE has licensed drug candidates to Kyorin and partnered with FRONTEO on AI-powered drug repositioning.
• Ultra-Large Die Casting Machines Large-scale die casting machines for EV component manufacturing, representing UBE's machinery business segment alongside chemicals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Polyimide film world market share leadership in LCD COF applications

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• LANXESSmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025UBE Corporation acquired the Urethane Systems business from Germany-based LANXESS in April 2025. This acquisition expanded UBE's specialty chemical offerings and advanced urethane capabilities, strengthening its position in the urethane systems market.
• FRONTEO Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024UBE Corporation and FRONTEO Inc. launched a co-creation project in November 2024 integrating AI-powered data analytics with biological validation to accelerate drug repositioning initiatives. This partnership combines UBE's pharmaceutical expertise with FRONTEO's AI analytics capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sumitomo Chemical: Diversified Japanese chemical peer with overlapping specialty chemicals, battery materials, and polymer offerings serving automotive and electronics customers.
• SK Geo Centric: Korean chemical producer active in battery materials, specialty polymers, and high-purity chemicals, with growing presence in the EV battery value chain alongside UBE.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Group: Japanese chemical major with overlapping portfolio in polyimide, battery materials, and specialty chemicals. Direct competitor identified alongside UBE in the battery electrolyte solvents market.
• Asahi Kasei: Japanese specialty chemicals and materials producer with comparable portfolio in polymers, separation membranes, and high-performance materials.
• Toray Industries: Leading Japanese polyimide film manufacturer and a direct competitor to UBE's flagship polyimide film franchise in display and electronics applications.
• Kaneka Corporation: Japanese specialty chemical peer active in polyimide films, high-performance polymers, and specialty materials overlapping with UBE's electronic and high-purity chemicals business.
• LG Chem: Korean chemical and battery materials giant identified alongside UBE as a major player in the battery electrolyte solvents market with strong EV/battery customer relationships.
• DuPont: Global specialty chemicals competitor in polyimide films, high-performance polymers, and electronic materials, with overlapping customer base in display, semiconductor, and industrial segments.

Broad incumbents

• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals incumbent with comparable high-purity chemicals, specialty polymers, and additives portfolio serving electronics and industrial customers.
• BASF: Global chemical incumbent and battery electrolyte solvent competitor. While broader than UBE's portfolio, BASF overlaps directly in battery materials and specialty intermediates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ube-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

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 UBE Corporation