Joint Venture between Zeon and Sumitomo Chemical to Start Operations in April

Mar. 17, 2017

ZS Elastomers Co., Ltd. (ZSE), a new joint venture between Zeon Corporation (Zeon: President Kimiaki Tanaka) and Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo Chemical: President Masakazu Tokura), will start operations on April 3, consolidating the two companies' solution styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) businesses.

Having already obtained regulatory approvals or clearance on the business consolidation both in Japan and overseas, ZSE takes over the sales and R&D functions of Zeon and Sumitomo Chemical relating to the S-SBR business as agreed on. Outside Japan, ZSE is also to handle products manufactured by each company's relevant subsidiaries in Singapore.

The new joint venture will work to expand the S-SBR business by maximizing multifaceted synergy effects that are expected to come about from new product development driven by fusion of respective company's technologies, bolstered cost competitiveness, an enhanced stable supply of products, etc.

Company Profile

Name	ZS Elastomers Co., Ltd.
Address	1-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8246, Japan
TEL	+81-3-3216-0620
Established	December 27, 2016
Representatives	Kei Itoh, President (Zeon) Masahiro Fukuyama, Vice President (Sumitomo Chemical)
Capital	450 million yen
Major shareholders	Zeon 60%, Sumitomo Chemical 40%
Operations	Sales and R&D of S-SBR

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