Chemical
Zeon sets up new company to take over Tohpe’s acrylic rubber business
Acrylic rubber is valued for its high heat resistance and is widely used in automotive components
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By ICN Bureau | September 11, 2026
Zeon Corporation is moving to strengthen its specialty rubber business by establishing a new company to take over the acrylic rubber operations of group company Tohpe Corporation.
Zeon established Zeon Chemicals Kurashiki Co., Ltd. on July 23 and said it has begun procedures under Japan’s Companies Act following an absorption-type company split agreement signed between Tohpe and the new company on August 21.
The new company is scheduled to begin operations on October 30, 2026, and will serve as a key manufacturing base for Zeon’s specialty rubber business, a core area for the group.
Acrylic rubber is valued for its high heat resistance and is widely used in automotive components, including oil seals and hoses. Zeon already operates four acrylic rubber manufacturing sites across Japan, the United States and Thailand, giving the group a global supply network.
The move follows Zeon’s May 11 announcement that it had agreed to transfer its shares in Tohpe to NATOCO Co., Ltd. as part of the transfer of Tohpe’s paints business to the company.
While Tohpe’s paints business is being transferred, its acrylic rubber operations will remain within Zeon’s business portfolio. The company said the acrylic rubber business has strong synergies with its Elastomers Business and that it plans to strengthen operational coordination between the new company and its existing operations.
Zeon said the move is aimed at improving competitiveness and increasing the corporate value of the group as a whole.
The new company will take over the acrylic rubber business as Zeon reorganizes Tohpe’s operations and sharpens its focus on specialty rubber, reinforcing its position in a market closely tied to the automotive industry.
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