Packaging
Kuraray Acquires U.S. Land Secured in State of Texas for Future Plant Construction
Monday 31. January 2011 - Stepping Stone on Way to Global Expansion of Kuraray's Vinyl Acetate Chemicals businesses
Kuraray Co., Ltd (TOKYO:3405) (ISIN:JP3269600007) announces that it has purchased land located in La Porte, Texas, through its local, wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Kuraray America, Inc. (also located in Texas, hereinafter “KAI”). This acquisition aims to expand Kuraray’s core business of Vinyl Acetate Chemical chains centering on Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) and its related product. Details are provided below.
Location
13100 Bay Area Boulevard, La Porte, Texas 77571 U.S.A.
(Around 1 mile north of KAI’s EVAL and SEPTON plant)
Land area
81 acres
Reason for land purchase
Under our strategic plan to expand Kuraray’s core business of Vinyl Acetate Chemical chains centering on PVA and its related products, the decision to acquire the land was taken as it had been deemed necessary to secure land in preparation for plant construction in the United States.
KAI company overview
Name: Kuraray America, Inc.
President: Kenichi Abe
Capitalization: U.S.$10.1 million (100% investment by Kuraray Holdings U.S.A., Inc.)
Employees: Around 210 people
Principal businesses:
Imports and sales in the United States of Kuraray chemical and textile products as well as dental materials; manufacture and sales of EVAL and SEPTON in the Americas
Address: 2625 Bay Area Boulevard, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77058-1551, U.S.A.
Kuraray Group’s annual production capacity of Vinyl Acetate and PVA resin
Vinyl Acetate
Kuraray Okayama Plant 150,000 tons
PVA
Kuraray Okayama Plant/ Niigata Plant 124,000 tons
Kuraray Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (Singapore) 40,000 tons
Kuraray Europe GmbH (Germany) 70,000 tons*
Total
234,000 tons
* This figure is the current production capacity and willexpand to 94,000 tons (+24,000 tons) after the completion of facility expansion at the first quarter of fiscal 2013 (planned). And the total PVA production capacity will expand to 258,000 tons.