JSR Group Company Decides to Establish a New Carbon Masterbatch Company in Mexico 

Corporate
ELASTOMIX CO., LTD. (President: Kazushi Abe), which is a consolidated subsidiary of JSR Corporation (President: Mitsunobu Koshiba), has made the decision to establish a new carbon masterbatch (CMB) company in Mexico. The new company is scheduled to begin commercial production in 2018 following the completion of company establishment procedures.

Mexico, which will be the home of the new company, is currently the world’s seventh largest automobile producer. Automakers from Japan as well as Europe and North America are successively entering Mexico and expanding their production capacity there. Many Japanese auto parts manufacturers that are major ELASTOMIX customers are also entering Mexico and are expected to increase their automobile production there going forward.

ELASTOMIX has developed supply schemes to meet demand for masterbatch in major automobile producing countries of Asia. It began by acquiring a stake in Tianjin Kuo Cheng Rubber Industry Co., Ltd. (Tianjin, China; joint venture) in 1996. It later established ELASTOMIX (THAILAND) CO., LTD. (Thailand; joint venture) in 2000, ELASTOMIX (FOSHAN) CO., LTD. (Foshan, China; wholly owned) in 2005, and PT. ELASTOMIX INDONESIA (Indonesia; joint venture) in 2013.
By establishing a manufacturing base in Mexico, which is a major exporter to the North American automobile market, ELASTOMIX aims to further expand its business while satisfying the demand of Japanese automakers and other customers.

Outline of the new company
1. Name: ELASTOMIX MEXICO S.A. de C.V. (provisional name)
2. Location: Irapuato, Guanajuato, United Mexican States
3. Representative: To be determined
4. Business description: Manufacture and sales of CMB
5. Capital: US$ 5.14 million
6. Establishment date: January 2017 (scheduled)
Explanation of terminology
CMB: Compounded rubber made by mixing and dispersing carbon, stiffeners and additives into raw rubber (synthetic rubber and natural rubber). It is an intermediate product that has the undergone primary processing required for the manufacture of rubber molded products.