is a Japanese international chemical manufacturing company based in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

. The company was founded in 1949 and produces chemical products such as functional

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

, foam resin, and

synthetic fiber Synthetic fibers or synthetic fibres (in British English; see spelling differences) are fibers made by humans through chemical synthesis, as opposed to natural fibers that are directly derived from living organisms, such as plants (like cotton) ...

s. The company was also engaged in the medical equipment business. In recent years, the company manufactured raw material for production of

coenzyme Q10 Coenzyme Q, also known as ubiquinone and marketed as CoQ10, is a coenzyme family that is ubiquitous in animals and most bacteria (hence the name ubiquinone). In humans, the most common form is coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone-10. It is a 1,4-benzoq ...

, and

apheresis Apheresis ( ἀφαίρεσις (''aphairesis'', "a taking away")) is a medical technology in which the blood of a person is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation ...

devices, where

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

of a donor or patient is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation.

History

In 1949, the company was founded by separating from the ''Kanegafuchi Spinning Company, Ltd.'' with capital of 200 million yen. The company started with developing and producing

vinyl chloride Vinyl chloride is an organochloride with the formula H2C=CHCl. It is also called vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) or chloroethene. This colorless compound is an important industrial chemical chiefly used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC ...

named "Kanevinyl". In 1950, the Osaka "Kanevinyl" plant was completed and the mass production of PVC wire covering started in Sakamoto factory. Year later, the company developed vinyl chloride resin type "Kanebirakku" and started production in Osaka factory. In 1953, in addition to the margarine production in Takasagokogyosho, the company started production of a soft vinyl chloride compound "Kanevinyl". In 1957, the company started the production of

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

named "Kanekalon". In 1961, the company developed and marketed "Belco" for ''Fats and Oils, Ltd.'' and started the production in

Takasago, Hyōgo 260px, Takasago City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 86,888 in 36828 households and a population density of 2500 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Akashi ...

. In 1965, the company developed expandable styrene-acrylonitrile resin named "Kanepearl". In 1966, Osaka factory developed the

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (chemical formula (C8H8)''x''·(C4H6)''y''·(C3H3N)''z'' is a common thermoplastic polymer. Its glass transition temperature is approximately . ABS is amorphous and therefore has no true melting point. A ...

(ABS RESIN). In 1967, the company developed vinyl chloride resin paste named "Kanevinyl paste", which began producing in Osaka factory. In 1968, the company established offices in Europe and New York. Production of extruded

polystyrene Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a ...

foam board Foamcore, foam board, or paper-faced foam board is a lightweight and easily cut material used for mounting of photographic prints, as backing for picture framing, for making scale models, and in painting. It consists of a board of polystyrene ...

named "Kanelite Foam" began in Kaneka Belgium. In 1971, Kaneka Americas founded "Kanepearl" plant. In 1972, the company developed

paper, while development and commercialization of production for flame-retardant ABS resin "Enpurekkusu" started in Osaka factory. In 1979, Kaneka Singapore was founded. The production of modified silicone polymer named "Kaneka MS polymer" started in Kanepearl, now Kaneka Ken. In 1980, the company marketed

reaction intermediate In chemistry, a reaction intermediate or an intermediate is a molecular entity that is formed from the reactants (or preceding intermediates) but is consumed in further reactions in stepwise chemical reactions that contain multiple elementary st ...

HPG. In 1983, the company developed and marketed AMMPA Kaneka, intermediate for

antihypertensive drug Antihypertensives are a class of drugs that are used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). Antihypertensive therapy seeks to prevent the complications of high blood pressure, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Evidence suggests th ...

, as well as acrylic silicone polymer, Kaneka Gemlac. In 1985, the company developed and marketed polypropylene foam by using bead method. In 1986, the company developed and marketed

plasmapheresis Plasmapheresis (from the Greek πλάσμα, ''plasma'', something molded, and ἀφαίρεσις ''aphairesis'', taking away) is the removal, treatment, and return or exchange of blood plasma or components thereof from and to the blood circulati ...

system. In 1989, the company developed modified PET resin named "Kaneka Hyperite". In 1991, the company developed and marketed "Selesorb", a selective adsorption column for

systemic lupus erythematosus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...

. In 1993, the company established Nantong Sunrise Worsted Spinning Co., Ltd. as a joint venture with Kyusyu Kanekalon Co., Ltd. Kanematsu Corporation, and Toyobo Co., Ltd. In 1997, the company established Kaneka High-Tech Materials, Inc. to succeed the apical operations of Allied-Apical Company, Inc. In 2000, the company acquired ISO 14001 certificate for its four plants located in Japan. In the same year, new Eperan factory in Michigan for Kaneka Texas Corporation was completed. The company also received

ISO 9001 The ISO 9000 family is a set of five quality management systems (QMS) standards that help organizations ensure they meet customer and other stakeholder needs within statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service. ISO 90 ...

certificate for all related company divisions involved in making Kanelite Foam. In the same year, the company developed word's first non-

fluorocarbon Fluorocarbons are chemical compounds with carbon-fluorine bonds. Compounds that contain many C-F bonds often has distinctive properties, e.g., enhanced stability, volatility, and hydrophobicity. Fluorocarbons and their derivatives are commerci ...

, non-halogen foaming agent type Kanelite Foam, the Type 3 insulation panel. In 2003, the company developed an imide film capable of forming a three-dimensional

optical waveguide An optical waveguide is a physical structure that guides electromagnetic waves in the optical spectrum. Common types of optical waveguides include optical fiber waveguides, transparent dielectric waveguides made of plastic and glass, liquid light ...

with a laser. In 2005, the company developed an industry's first acryl grafted vinyl chloride copolymer named "PRICTMER". One year later, in 2006, the company industrialized world's first

telechelic polymer A telechelic polymer or oligomer is a prepolymer capable of entering into further polymerization or other reactions through its reactive end-groups. It can be used for example to synthesize block copolymers. By definition, a telechelic polymer is ...

. In the same year, they developed a new

injection molding Injection moulding (U.S. spelling: injection molding) is a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting molten material into a mould, or mold. Injection moulding can be performed with a host of materials mainly including metals (for ...

resin by applying proprietary

nanocomposite Nanocomposite is a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers (nm) or structures having nano-scale repeat distances between the different phases that make up the material. The id ...

technology and developed toughness-enhancing master batches for epoxy resin. In 2008, the company developed a new resin with high

mechanical strength The field of strength of materials, also called mechanics of materials, typically refers to various methods of calculating the stresses and strains in structural members, such as beams, columns, and shafts. The methods employed to predict the re ...

and high light resistance named "ILLUMIKA", and developed world's most advanced high thermal conductive graphite sheet, named Graphinity. Takasago2006

In 2010, the company developed new thermally conductive plastics with electric insulating properties, and the first dual UV/moisture-curing adhesive, together with ChemTech. In the same year, the company formed a capital alliance with the Belgian biotechnology company Eurogentec. In 2011, the company developed the first completely bio-based polymer with soft and heat-resistant properties, as well as a new thermosetting imide resin for a carbon-fiber-reinforced composite material with high heat resistance. In 2012, the company established Kaneka Asia Co., Ltd., an Asia regional umbrella hub based in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China, as well as the Kaneka Americas Holding, Inc., an America regional umbrella hub based in Texas, United States. In 2013, the company established Kaneka South America Representative Ltd. and Kaneka Foods Indonesia. In the same year the company founded Kaneka US Material Research Center Facility, in partnership with

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

Products

Bio-pharmaceutical research and development support

On March 6, 2015, the United States

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

authorized use of Lixelle Beta 2-microglobulin Apheresis Column, the first device to treat

Haemodialysis-associated amyloidosis Amyloidosis is the accumulation on misfolded protein fibers in the body. This is very common condition associated with many of the chronic illness. Haemodialysis-associated amyloidosis is a form of systemic amyloidosis associated with chronic ki ...

(DRA) developed and produced by Kaneka Corporation. The Lixelle Column system is used for helping patient to eliminate agents that cause

inflammation Inflammation (from la, wikt:en:inflammatio#Latin, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants, and is a protective response involving im ...

. The system is used in treatment of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

management and

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and a ...

History

Products

Bio-pharmaceutical research and development support

See also

References

External links