Zeon, Sumitomo JV to start operation 3 April

Tokyo – The solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR) joint venture business between Zeon Corp. and Sumitomo Chemical is set to start operation on 3 April, the Japanese companies have announced.

Kei Itoh of Zeon will be the president and Sumitomo Chemical’s Masahiro Fukuyama will serve as vice president at the Tokyo-based JV, ZS Elastomers Co. Ltd.

ZSE will consolidate the two companies’ sales and R&D functions of their SSBR businesses.

Outside Japan, ZSE is also to handle products manufactured by each company's relevant subsidiaries in Singapore.

Zeon holds a 60% share in the JV while Sumitomo Chemical owns the remaining 40%.