Fibers & Textiles segment recovers in Q1 under review – Kuraray
04 Aug '10
5 min read
• Demand for KURALON expanded for use in automotive brake hoses, and as an asbestos substitute in FRC (fiber reinforced cement). • Sales of existing and new eco-friendly CLARINO man-made leather processing products showed signs of recovery for use in footwear. Amid a drastic business restructuring, the Company is promoting the shift to new processing procedures for high-value-added products at its Okayama Plant as well as the partial transfer of general-purpose product manufacturing to a Chinese joint venture. • Sales of KURAFLEX nonwoven fabrics were stable for use in industrial wipers, although demand for use in commercial counter cloth [ak3]and industrial masks was stagnant. During the period under review, FELIBENDY [ak4]nonwoven fabric produced using steam jet technologies heating expanded its applications. • Demand for MAGIC TAPE hook and loop fasteners was steady for industrial materials, medical and transport-related applications. • Demand for VECTRAN [ak5]high strength polyarylate fiber showed a gradual recovery mainly for optic fiber applications in China.
Trading The Trading segment saw market recovery in such fiber-related business as polyester (in apparel and materials fields), as well as an increasing number of customers applying the Company's unique materials to their products.
On the back of steady demand, sales of resins, chemicals and chemical products showed healthy growth. As a result, sales in this segment increased 21.1% from a year earlier to ¥28,552 million, while operating income jumped 145.4% to ¥606 million.
• During the period under review, demand for formalwear and uniform applications recovered in the apparel industry. In addition, sales of the Company's mainstay ELMOZA[ak6] with excellent color and texture were strong in the domestic women's apparel market and the European market. • In the materials field, sales remained stable on the back of strong demand for materials used in medical-related items and footwear. Sales of industrial materials for use in automobiles grew substantially in Asian countries. • While expanding the lineup of Group products in the resin, chemicals and chemical products businesses, the Company enjoyed growth in sales of other items, such as including solvents, environmental materials activated carbon and industrial membranes, and in high-value-added businesses, including ISOBAM alkaline water-soluble polymer and elastomer.
Click here to view more details for Consolidated Earnings report for the First Quarter
Kuraray was founded in 1926 for the purpose of commercializing synthetic rayon, which was cutting edge technology at the time. In 1950 during the post-World War II period, as Japan's first domestic producer of synthetic fiber based on original Japanese technologies, Kuraray became a world leader in the commercialization of PVA (poval) fiber under the KURALON brand, ushering in Japan's pioneering era in the chemical synthetic fiber industry.
-Ltd..jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Thermore (Far East) Ltd.")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)")
