Enhancement of the Carbon Fiber Business

Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, President: Takumi Ubagai, hereafter referred to as “Mitsubishi Plastics”) and Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, President: Hitoshi Ochi, hereafter referred to as “Mitsubishi Rayon”) have agreed to integrate the Pitch-based Carbon Fiber Business of Mitsubishi Plastics and the PAN-based Carbon Fiber Business of Mitsubishi Rayon with the purpose of enhancing the Carbon Fiber & Composite Materials Business. Mitsubishi Rayon will succeed Mitsubishi Plastics’ Pitch-based Carbon Fiber Business through a company split and launch new organization, in which the Pitch-based carbon fiber business and PAN-based carbon fiber business are integrated, as of April 1, 2015.
 
As a single group, Mitsubishi Plastics and Mitsubishi Rayon, which are business companies whose common holding company is Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (hereafter referred to as “Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings”), constitute the world’s only manufacturer with both the coal pitch-based carbon fiber and PAN-based carbon fiber technologies. Tangible results have been achieved so far, which include a series of newly designed golf shafts “Diamana” B, W and R developed by Mitsubishi Rayon through the appropriate use of both PAN-based and Pitch-based carbon fibers by pursuing the group synergy through co-marketing and technology exchanges.
 
As the Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group, we will apply knowledge gained through the world leading Pitch-based carbon fiber business to the area of the PAN-based carbon fiber business to enhance the strengths of providing customers with solutions for industrial application such as automobile, pressure vessel and wind turbines whip, which are our strategic focus areas. Moreover, we will maximize the value of Pitch-based carbon fiber business by utilizing the business infrastructure regarding the production, sales and development of PAN-related carbon fiber and composite materials business that has already been operated globally.