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Nippon Synthetic Chem Industry

MaterialsOsaka, JapanFounded 1927· One of 961 Materials companies tracked by AMPulse

Manufactures water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH/PVA) resins for industrial applications including pharmaceuticals, adhesives, and paper processing.

CEO / Founder
Yota Tanahashi
Team Size
501-1000
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$425M
Key Investors
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings

Technology & Products

Key Products

Manufactures synthetic resin products including Gohsenol (PVOH: polyvinyl alcohol), OPL film (optical PVOH film), Soarnol (EVOH: ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer), vinyl acetate resin, acetic acid, and other specialty chemicals.

Technological Advantage

(1) Claimed: High-purity, biodegradable PVOH resins for diverse industrial use. (2) Verified: Established market presence with the GOHSENOL brand in the chemical industry; however, no AM-specific advantages are verified.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Provides high-purity, biodegradable PVOH resins that ensure regulatory compliance and product stability in pharmaceutical and industrial processes, reducing waste through water-solubility.

How They Differentiate

Leverages proprietary vinyl acetate chemistry to produce water-soluble PVA filaments with higher thermal stability and better adhesion to engineering plastics compared to standard PVA, reducing nozzle clogging and print failure rates.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Industrial manufacturers and 3D printing service bureaus requiring complex FDM geometries with automated support removal.

Industry Verticals

Pharmaceuticals; Cosmetics; Adhesives; Paper processing; Suspension polymerization

Competitors

Kuraray, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Solvay SA, Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co., Ltd., Sigma-Aldrich (Merck KGaA), LANXESS AG.

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Reported annual revenue of ¥104.6B and operating income of ¥13.6B in FY2016 prior to its full merger into Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.

Major Milestones

1927: Company founded; 2016: Became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings; 2019: Formally merged into and absorbed by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.

Notable Customers

Leading polarizing plate manufacturers.

https://www.nichigo.co.jp/english/product/index.html

Why this company matters

Nippon Synthetic Chem Industry Co, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, is a long-established producer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resins under the GOHSENOL brand. While its core business serves pharmaceuticals, adhesives, and paper processing, its water-soluble PVOH filaments have found a niche in polymer additive manufacturing as support materials for FDM printers. The company's proprietary vinyl acetate chemistry yields PVOH with higher thermal stability and better adhesion to engineering plastics than standard grades, reducing nozzle clogging and print failure rates during automated support removal.

The company's GOHSENOL resins are biodegradable and designed for regulatory compliance in highly regulated sectors. In AM, these properties enable clean dissolution of support structures in water, eliminating manual post-processing for complex geometries. Target customers include industrial manufacturers and 3D printing service bureaus that require reliable support removal for intricate FDM parts.

Nippon Synthetic Chem holds a dominant market position in PVOH alongside Kuraray, but its AM-specific advantages remain unverified beyond the general material properties. The company was fully merged into Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation in 2019, which may limit independent strategic focus on additive manufacturing. Competing PVOH suppliers include Kuraray and Mitsubishi Chemical itself, creating potential internal overlap.