Toyobo Co., Ltd. (東洋紡績株式会社, Tōyōbōseki Kabushiki-gaisha) is one of Japan's top makers of fibers and textiles, including synthetic fibers (polyester, nylon and acrylics) and natural fibers, such as cotton and wool.

Toyobo Co., Ltd.
東洋紡績株式会社
Company typePublic (K.K)
TYO: 3101
Nikkei 225 Component
IndustryTextile
FoundedOsaka (May 1882; 141 years ago (1882-05))
Headquarters2-8, Dojima Hama 2-chome, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-8230, Japan
Key people
Ryuzo Sakamoto
(Chairman of the board)
Seiji Narahara
(President)
Products
RevenueIncrease US$ 3.41 billion (FY 2013) (JPY 351.57 billion) (FY 2013)
Increase US$ 79.2 million (FY 2013) (JPY 8.15 billion) (FY 2013)
Number of employees
10,487 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2014)
WebsiteOfficial website
Footnotes / references
[1][2]

History edit

Toyobo was established in 1882 by Eiichi Shibusawa as a cotton-spinning company in a context of post-Meiji Restoration. By the 1930s, Toyobo was the world's largest cotton-spinning company. In the 1960s, the company started to manufacture synthetic fibers and films.[3]

In August 2013, Toyobo bought the Spanish company Spinreact for 22.3 million euros.[4]

In 2015, Toyobo provided 40% of the yarn for airbags worldwide, and 50% of Japan's food packaging films.[3] In March 2017, Toyobo introduced Cocomi, a t-shirt that tracks a driver's heartbeats and activates an alarm if somnolence is detected.[5] In August 2017, Toyobo established a new group in Europe, Toyobo Chemicals Europe GmbH, with a focus on marketing specialty chemical products, and a new manufacturing base for airbag fabrics.[6]

In March 2018, Toyobo paid $66 million to settle a case of defective bulletproof vests sold to the US Government between 2001 and 2005.[7][8]

Activities edit

Toyobo's textiles are designed for clothing, home furnishings, and for industrial uses. Textiles include spandex yarn for apparel, polyurethane fiber for pantyhose, yarns for airbags and tire cords and synthetic fibers for apparel. Toyobo is also engaged in the spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, sewing, and the wholesaling and trading of textiles in Japan and internationally.[citation needed]

Toyobo also manufactures plastic films, and resins. Biochemical products such as reagents, medical products (e.g. fiber membranes for artificial organs), and purification devices are also manufactured by the company.[9]

The company operates across Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, United States, and Germany and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, being a component of the Nikkei 225 stock index.[10]

Gallery edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Corporate Data". Toyobo. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Company Snapshot". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Toyobo's turnaround has true Japanese spirit". Theworldfolio.com. 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "La japonesa Toyobo compra la empresa bioquímica española Spinreact". Finanzas.com (in Spanish). August 2, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "Cocomi, un t-shirt qui vous empêche de vous endormir au volant". Tomsguide.fr (in French). March 18, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  6. ^ "Toyobo Adds Germany to Global Network With New Manufacturing Base for Airbag Fabrics". Japanchemicaldaily.com. August 25, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  7. ^ Ray Downs (March 15, 2018). "Japanese firm to pay $66M for selling defective bulletproof vests to U.S." Upi.com. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "Toyobo to pay $66 million in U.S. bullet-proof vest fraud case". Reuters.com. March 15, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  9. ^ "Company Snapshot". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "Components:Nikkei Stock Average". Nikkei Inc. Retrieved March 3, 2015.

External links edit