Corporate History

1882 One of the foundations of Toyobo, Osaka Boseki was born
1886 Establishment of Mie Boseki
1914 The start of Toyobo, merger between Mie Boseki and Osaka Boseki
1931 Merger with Osaka Goudoboseki to create one of the largest spinning companies in the world
1956 Entry into the synthetic fibers business
1963 Entry into the films business
1966 Merger with Kureha Boseki - Toyobo became the largest-scale spinning company in Japan
1970 Entry into the plastics business
1972 Entry into the bio products business
1979 Developed the world's first RO membrane modules for single-pass seawater desalination
1982 Approaching the Toyobo Centennial
Establishment of Toyobo Biotechnology Foundation
2002 Consolidated sales from non-fiber operations exceed sales from fiber operations
Development of "Toyobo GS Catalyst®" world's first aluminum (heavy metal-free) polyester catalyst
2010 Establishment of a joint venture for manufacturing and selling RO membrane elements in Saudi Arabia
2012 Approaching the Toyobo 130th anniversary
Establishment of our new corporate slogan - Ideas & Chemistry
2013 Acquisition of Spain's Spinreact S.A., a Global Manufacturer and Marketer of Diagnostic Reagents and Instruments
Development of COSMOSHINE®SRF (a polyester-based super retarder film) to Eliminate Coloration (Rainbow Mura) due to Birefringence