Rising Star: Jeremiah Greiner Driving Digital Innovation at Kuraray America

At 18, he entered Kuraray America, Inc.’s SEPTON plant as a contract Maintenance Technician, starting on the plant floor with a wrench and the kind of determination that turns opportunity into a career.

Rising Stars

A century of innovation is not sustained by legacy alone, it is carried forward by hashtag#RisingStars who take initiative and move ideas into action. Jeremiah Greiner, IT Specialist based in Houston, TX, exemplifies what this looks like in action.

Jeremiah Greiner’s technical curiosity started early. By eight years old, he was already immersed in computers. In high school, his aptitude stood out so clearly that a teacher created a dedicated elective for him to help maintain and repair district computer systems.

At 18, he entered Kuraray America, Inc. SEPTON plant as a contract Maintenance Technician, starting on the plant floor with a wrench and the kind of determination that turns opportunity into a career.

The Turning Point
During a lunch break, he fixed a co-worker's Excel spreadsheet. The co-worker noticed and asked if Jeremiah could build job packages.
His answer: "No, but I can learn." The following week, Jeremiahs daily responsibilities changed.

Growth Across the Organization
Jeremiah earned his degrees while working his way from a contractor on the plant floor to a permanent role in 2017, navigating the transition from maintenance to information technology (IT) role, and later on working with Kuraray’s global ERP team.

As part of Kuraray’s International Trainee Program, Jeremiah spent three months in Japan. The program awarded him the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues across the world. "That experience showed me that Kuraray America isn't just filling roles," he says. "It's developing people for the long term."

Today, as an IT Specialist, Jeremiah
🔹 Has led 3 deployments in USA (Kuraray America), Singapore, and Thailand for Plant Maintenance module in SAP
🔹 Is leading his 4th deployment for Calgon Carbon Corporation (including their Chemviron entities in Europe)
🔹 Helped digitize operations that once relied on decade-old paper files.
🔹Implemented an automated customer order entry into SAP, freeing the customer service team to spend more time with customers.

Investing in Digital Leadership
When Kuraray launched its hashtag#DX Gold training program, Jeremiah was a part of the first cohort, completing 90-plus hours of coursework while pursuing his master's degree and studying Japanese. He now leads a global AI and Data Governance initiative that shapes how the company organizes, manages, and leverages its data for the future.

For People and the Planet
For Jeremiah, it all ties back to Kuraray America's mission of caring for the people and the planet.

"When things run smoothly, we avoid errors, reduce waste, and keep materials moving efficiently through the supply chain," he says. "Those are the moments when I'm reminded how IT quietly helps Kuraray America live out its mission."

As the Kuraray Group enters its next century, Jeremiah believes this investment in digital capability will define the next 100 years.

hashtag#KurarayAmerica hashtag#100YearsOfKuraray hashtag#DigitalTransformation