In response to the expanding market for individual packaging for detergents and other products Kuraray to Expand Production Facilities of PVA(Polyvinyl Alcohol) Film for Global consumer goods and industrial applications
Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Fumio Ito), has decided to expand its facilities in LaPorte, Indiana, the United States (MonoSol LLC: a Kuraray Group wholly owned subsidiary; Headquarters: Merrillville, Indiana) in response to the active demand for PVA films for consumer goods and industrial applications used in single-use packet for detergents, agrichemicals, solid surface and so on.
Facility Expansion Background
Kuraray has decided that facilities need to be expanded in response to the increasing demand for PVA film for consumer goods and industrial applications, especially for the water soluble films used to create the single-use packets for liquid detergents popular in the U.S. and European markets, in order to maintain a stable supply system.
| Location | La Porte, Indiana, the United States |
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| Invested amount | Approximately US$35 million |
| Operation target | July, 2014 |
| Company name | MonoSol, LLC |
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| Capital | US$59 million |
| Representative | P. Scott Bening, President & CEO |
| Headquarters | Merrillville, Indiana, USA |
| Business offices | U.S. and U.K. (production facilities) |
| Principal businesses | Manufacture and sale of PVA film for various industrial applications such as packaging films for unit dose detergents, agrochemicals and dyes as well as mold-release films for synthetic marble and so on. |
| Number of employees | Approximately 350 (as of December 31, 2012) |
| Website | www.monosol.com |
- ※ Kuraray Co., Ltd. acquired U.S.-based MonoSol, LLC, which manufactures and sells PVA films in June, 2012. This acquisition forms part of Kuraray's strategy to expand its "Vinyl Acetate Chemical Chains Business," which is one of its core businesses.