07/15/2019 | Press Releases

Sustainable, capable, unique: Kuraray is one of Germany’s innovation leaders

Frankfurt/Hattersheim, July 2019. Kuraray is constantly setting new standards in the chemical sector with its high-performance materials, technologies and applications. Now this speciality chemicals producer, which has its European headquarters in Hattersheim, near Frankfurt am Main, has been awarded the distinction of ranking among Germany's innovation leaders in an evaluation undertaken by the daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.), in collaboration with the IMWF institute for management and economic research and the Prognos market research institute. Kuraray aims to make the world a little better with its sustainable products, for example, for packaging, high-performance materials for high-tech applications and solutions for new production technologies such as additive manufacturing.

“As one of the world's leading producers of speciality chemicals, our goal is to develop products that help our customers solve today's challenges. Our barrier materials, which contribute to sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging solutions, are an excellent example,” says Matthias Gutweiler, Managing Director of Kuraray Europe. “Being included in Germany's innovation leaders is evidence of the high standard of our research and development work.” The market research company Prognos assessed the innovative strength of 33,000 companies throughout Germany on behalf of the F.A.Z. and IMWF. The evaluation was based on criteria such as the number of international patent applications filed in the past ten years, the influence of patents on other inventions, and collaboration with industry and research organisations in Germany. Only around 10 percent of the companies assessed met the stringent criteria. Kuraray is among the award-winners.

Innovative materials for industry – from the automotive sector to fashion
Kuraray’s innovative materials are used in many sectors and technologies, for example in high-performance coatings and structural adhesives in the automotive industry, in the production of functional ceramics for microelectronics, and as speciality materials for the construction industry. The company's research and development frequently addresses new technologies. For instance, its water-soluble support filament MOWIFLEX™ 3D 2000 is a unique material that allows the production of complex shapes in outstanding quality on 3D printers. In addition, Kuraray offers speciality materials for medical applications, cosmetics and the sports and textile sectors.

When it comes to innovative strength, this speciality chemicals company places high demands on itself. “Sustainability is a key topic at Kuraray. Therefore we are increasingly focusing on reducing pressure on the environment when we develop new materials and optimise our own processes,” explains Naoya Uehara, Co-Managing Director of Kuraray Europe. “One example is SEPTON™ BIO. This thermoplastic elastomer is based on β-farnesene, a renewable monomer obtained from sugar sources such as sugar cane. This bio-based block copolymer is characterized by its excellent material properties. Through our ideas, we aim to make the world a little better in the future.”

About Kuraray
Established in 1991, Kuraray Europe GmbH is based in Hattersheim, near Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In 2018 the company generated annual sales of EUR 690 million. It has approximately 700 employees in Germany at its sites in Hattersheim, Frankfurt and Troisdorf. Kuraray is a global speciality chemicals company and one of the largest suppliers of industrial polymers and synthetic microfibres for many sectors of industry. Examples are KURARAY POVAL™, Mowital^®, Trosifol^® and CLEARFIL™. Kuraray Europe also has around 200 employees at six other European sites. They are also working on the development and application of innovative high-performance materials for a wide range of sectors, including the automotive, paper, glass and packaging industries, as well as for architects and dentists.
 
Kuraray Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Kuraray Co., Ltd., which is based in Tokyo, Japan, and has more than 10,000 employees worldwide and sales of EUR 4,8 billion.

Dr. Bettina Plaumann
Head of KEG Communications & Marketing
Kuraray Europe GmbH
Philipp-Reis-Straße 4
65795 Hattersheim am Main
Phone: +49 69 305 85797
Email: Bettina.Plaumann(at)kuraray.com
Internet: www.kuraray.eu 
www.elastomer.kuraray.com

Christopher Kampfmann
Wortwahl – Agentur für Unternehmens- und Onlinekommunikation
Bahnhofstraße 123
63263 Neu-Isenburg
Phone: +49 6102 36678-22
Email: kampfmann(at)wortwahl.de
Internet: www.wortwahl.de

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Innovation to improve sustainability: careful use of natural resources is important to Kuraray when developing new materials. One example is Plantic™ biopolymer [produced by PLANTIC™ Technologies Limited (a member of the Kuraray Group)]. Renewable starch makes up over 80 percent of this biodegradable barrier material. Its high barrier properties keep oxygen out of packaging and maintain the flavour and aroma of the contents - for example, coffee, snacks and sweets. Source of photo: Kuraray

Better grip with sugar: Better grip with sugar: SEPTON™ BIO is another example of Kuraray's innovative and sustainable solutions. This thermoplastic elastomer, which is based on β-farnesene obtained from sugar sources such as sugar cane, is characterized by its excellent material properties - such as excellent wet and dry grip performance, strong and stable adhesion force across a wide temperature range and good processability. Source of photo: Kuraray