ZEON HOLDS CEREMONY TO MARK COMPLETION OF ITS CARBON NANOTUBE MANUFACTURING PLANT
November 11, 2015 – Zeon Corporation (President: Kimiaki Tanaka) held a ceremony on November 11 at its new carbon nanotubes manufacturing plant to mark the completion of the facility, constructed inside its Tokuyama Plant (Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan). Among the many guests were representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Incorporated Administrative Agency New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), and the Incorporated Administrative Agency National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), as well as officials from Yamaguchi Prefecture and Shunan City. Additionally, Chairman Naozumi Furukawa led a ten-person delegation who attended on behalf of Zeon. In his greeting to those attending the ceremony, he said: “We express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has made the completion of our latest mass production plant possible, including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, NEDO, and AIST. On our part, we will strive to ensure a stable supply while placing top priority on safety and expanding this business, a first for not only Japan but also for the world, that will contribute to economic development.”

This latest plant will produce single-walled carbon nanotubes that demonstrate unique properties, including a high aspect ratio, high purity and highly specific surface area, and they hold promise for applications such as new specialty materials with non-conventional functionality and characteristics, and next-generation devices. The NEDO project has already devised potential ways of incorporating carbon nanotubes into innovative materials and devices such as high-performance capacitors, highly functional rubber materials and materials with high thermal conductivity, and demand for these products is expected to grow. After conducting test runs, we plan to commence mass production in the second half of fiscal 2015.

Prior to the completion of the manufacturing plant, Zeon Nano Technology Co., Ltd. was established in June to process and sell carbon nanotubes and related products, and operations at this facility have commenced.

Press conference Ribbon cutting ceremony

OUTLINE OF THE NEW COMPANY
Company name: Zeon Nano Technology Co., Ltd.
Location: Shin Marunouchi Center Building, 1-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Representative: Kohei Arakawa
Business: Processing and sale of carbon nanotubes and related products
Date of establishment: June 26, 2015
Paid-in capital: JPY400 million
Shareholding: Zeon Corporation: 100%

About ZEON CHEMICALS L.P.
ZEON CHEMICALS L.P. is a wholly owned subsidiary of ZEON Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in specialty elastomers, polymers and specialty chemicals. ZEON CHEMICALS, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is the leading producer of specialty elastomers in the USA. It produces Nipol® NBR, HyTemp® ACM, Hydrin® ECO, Zetpol® HNBR, and Chemisat® Latex, which are used in the manufacture of hoses, seals, gaskets, belts and other parts for automotive, industrial, oil field and printing markets. Customers are served from plants in Louisville (Ky., USA), Hattiesburg (Miss., USA) and Bayport (Texas, USA).

ZEON CORPORATION is one of the top producers of polymers in the world with plants in Asia, North America and Europe, and Research and Development laboratories in Kawasaki (Japan), Louisville (Ky., USA) and Barry (UK). ZEON CORPORATION, with combined sales of over US 2.5 billion, utilizes its expertise and basic position in C4 and C5 chemistry to offer a wide range of products. The company employs approximately 3,100 people worldwide.