CHORI GLEX

What CHORI GLEX does

CHORI GLEX Co., Ltd. (蝶理GLEX株式会社) is a Japanese specialty trading company that imports and exports niche industrial products to Japanese enterprise buyers. The company is organized into four business divisions: Chemical Group (specialty chemicals, partnering with Evonik Japan, Huntsman, and Gabriel Performance Products), Industrial Products Group (dispensers, paper products, railway components from suppliers such as DS Smith, Sappi-Warren, ITW, and Delkor Rail), Building Products Group (imported brick and klinker products from European manufacturers like Nelissen Steenfabrieken and ABC Karamik), and Aural Products Group (hearing components from Sonion A/S, Estron, and BHM). The company operates from a Tokyo head office and Osaka branch with 27 employees as of March 31, 2026, generating approximately 3,668 million JPY in annual sales.

The company traces its lineage to the 1859 Frazer Company, Japan's first foreign-capitalized enterprise, and has undergone multiple ownership transitions — through ACI International Group (Australia, 1982), BTR Group (UK, 1988), a management buyout creating PTI Japan (2000) — before being acquired by Chori Co., Ltd. in February 2013 and rebranded as CHORI GLEX in October 2018. As a wholly-owned Chori Group subsidiary, it benefits from the parent's broader Asian sourcing networks (China, Southeast Asia, Russia, Middle East) while retaining its traditional European and American supply relationships.

The business model is sales-led enterprise import distribution: the company acts as an intermediary sourcing high-specification industrial products from overseas manufacturers and selling them to Japanese industrial buyers. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per transaction, with no public pricing disclosed. The company maintains ISO 14001:2015 environmental certification, holds approximately 499 million JPY in registered capital, and operates with minimal digital infrastructure — relying on direct sales contact via Tokyo and Osaka offices, a bilingual corporate website, and dedicated supplier relationships across five continents.

Name

CHORI GLEX

Legal name

CHORI GLEX Co., Ltd.

Website

https://c-glex.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CHORI GLEX is a Japanese import/export trading company that imports specialty chemicals, industrial products, building materials, and hearing components from global manufacturers and distributes them to Japanese industrial buyers through its Tokyo and Osaka sales offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Import/Export of Specialty Chemical and Industrial Products: CHORI GLEX generates revenue through importing and exporting specialty chemicals and industrial products. The company specializes in high-value-added industrial products that require specialized technical knowledge, operating as a trading firm within the Chori Group ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

CHORI GLEX is a Tokyo-based B2B trading company that imports and exports specialty chemicals and industrial products between overseas suppliers and Japanese manufacturers. The company organizes its activities into four business groups — Chemical, Industrial Products, Building Products, and Aural Products — sourcing materials globally and distributing them into the Japanese market. It operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chori Co., Ltd., leveraging a heritage that traces back to the 1859 Frazer Company.

Product overview

CHORI GLEX is a Japanese trading company (established 1859) that operates as a single, unified import/export business for specialty chemicals and industrial products. The company is organized into four distinct business divisions: Chemical Group (specialty chemicals), Industrial Products Group (industrial materials and railway components), Building Products Group (construction materials), and Aural Products Group (hearing components). These divisions share common infrastructure including Tokyo headquarters and Osaka branch, but each operates its own product portfolio and worldwide supplier network. The company generates approximately 3,668 million yen in annual revenue with 27 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and minor.

• Evonik JapanmoderateOthersEvonik Japan is listed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Chemical business group, indicating an import/supply partnership for specialty chemical products imported into Japan.
• Huntsman Performance ProductsmoderateOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Chemical business group, indicating a supply partnership for performance chemical products.
• Gabriel Performance ProductsminorOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Chemical business group as a supplier partner.
• Sonion A/SmoderateOthersSonion A/S is listed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Aural Products group, indicating a supply partnership for hearing components and aural products imported into Japan.
• Estron a/smoderateOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Aural Products group as a supplier of hearing-related components.
• BHMminorOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Aural Products group as a supplier partner.
• NELISSEN STEENFABRIEKENminorOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Building Products group, indicating a supply partnership for imported building materials/bricks.
• ABC KARAMIK BERENTELGminorOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Building Products group as a supplier of building/ceramic products.
• Worldwide Dispensers (DS Smith)moderateOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Industrial Products group, indicating a supply partnership for dispensers and packaging solutions.
• Sappi-WarrenmoderateOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Industrial Products group, indicating a supply partnership for paper/pulp-based industrial products.
• Blue SkyminorOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Industrial Products group as a supplier partner.
• ITWmoderateOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Industrial Products group, indicating a supply partnership for industrial equipment and components.
• MenshenminorOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Industrial Products group as a supplier of industrial components.
• Delkor Rail Pty LtdminorOthersListed on CHORI GLEX's World Network for the Industrial Products group, indicating a supply partnership for railway-related industrial products.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Chori Co., Ltd. Parent company of CHORI GLEX and a Japanese trading company with overlapping activities in chemicals, plastics, and industrial product imports. Operates at broader scale with additional verticals such as textiles.
• Brenntag SE: Global leader in specialty chemicals distribution with operations across Asia. Much larger scale than CHORI GLEX but performs the same functional role of linking European/American chemical manufacturers with industrial buyers.
• IMCD N.V. Global specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor with strong Asian presence. Comparable business model of distributing specialty chemicals to industrial customers in defined regions.
• Azelis Group: Specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor with significant Asian operations. Similar value proposition of providing technical sales support and supply chain services for specialty chemicals.
• ITOCHU Corporation: Major Japanese sogo shosha with a chemicals division that imports specialty and commodity chemicals. Operates at much greater scale across multiple industries with overlapping Japanese industrial customers.
• Mitsui & Co., Ltd. One of Japan's largest trading houses with extensive chemicals, industrial products, and building materials divisions. Provides a benchmark for specialty industrial distribution at scale.
• Marubeni Corporation: Japanese trading company with chemicals and industrial materials operations that overlap with CHORI GLEX's import and distribution activities across Asia.

Direct peers

• Nagase & Co., Ltd. Japanese specialty chemicals trading company that imports and distributes specialty chemicals, plastics, and electronic materials to Japanese manufacturers—directly comparable to CHORI GLEX's Chemical Group.
• Sanyo Trading Co., Ltd. Japanese trading company specializing in chemicals, plastics, and industrial products with a similar import-focused distribution model serving Japanese industrial buyers.

Emerging players

• Univar Solutions: North American specialty chemicals distributor expanding into Asia-Pacific markets. Competes in adjacent segments and shares CHORI GLEX's function as a specialty chemicals intermediary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 CHORI GLEX