Corporate History
1882 |
May 3 |
Establishes Osaka Boseki, a predecessor to the Company, as the first private spinning company in Japan based on the spinning business plan formulated by Eiichi Shibusawa |
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1883 |
July |
Osaka Boseki starts operating a cotton-spinning business at the Sangenya Plant (located in what is now Taisho-ku, Osaka) |
1886 |
November |
Launches Mie Boseki, a predecessor to the Company |
1890 |
October |
Osaka Boseki purchases a cotton fabrics plant and starts concurrent operation of textile manufacturing business |
1893 |
July |
Osaka Boseki transitions to a public limited-liability company |
October |
Mie Boseki transitions to a public limited-liability company |
|
1914 |
June 26 |
Osaka Boseki and Mie Boseki merge to form Toyobo (the Company, headquartered in Yokkaichi, Mie; share capital: ¥14.25 million; renamed Toyobo Co., Ltd. in October 2012) |
1918 |
November |
Establishes Miyukikeori Co., Ltd. (currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
1919 |
May |
Establishes Kyoto Some-saisei Co., Ltd. (renamed Toyo Cloth Co., Ltd. in February 1926; currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
1920 |
March |
Head office moves to Kita-ku, Osaka (relocated to the current site in Kita-ku in April 2022) |
1927 |
December |
The Katata Rayon Plant (Otsu, Shiga, where the Research Center is currently situated) starts producing rayon |
1929 |
December |
Establishes Toyo Iou Kogyo Co., Ltd. (renamed Toyo Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. in December 1959, which merged with the Company in March 2010) |
1931 |
March |
Merged with Osaka Godo Boseki |
1934 |
December |
The Tsuruga Plant (Tsuruga, Fukui; currently the Tsuruga Functional Materials Plant) starts operating and produces rayon |
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1937 |
July |
The Iwakuni Plant (Iwakuni, Yamaguchi; currently the Iwakuni Functional Materials Plant) starts operating and produces rayon |
1940 |
May |
The Inuyama Plant (Inuyama, Aichi) starts operating and produces pulp for chemical textiles |
1948 |
October |
The Inuyama Plant starts trial production of yeast from black liquor (inception of the biotechnology business) |
1949 |
January |
Establishes Brasilana Productos Texteils Ltda. (renamed Toyobo Do Brasil Ltda. in December 2001; currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
May |
Listed on the Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges |
|
1955 |
April |
Establishes Toyobo Do Brasil Industria Textil Ltda. (renamed Toyobo Do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. in December 2013; currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
December |
Establishes Industrias Unidas, S.A. (currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
|
1956 |
September |
Establishes Japan Exlan Company, Limited (which started producing acrylic fibers in April 1958; currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
1960 |
April |
Establishes Ritto Seni (renamed Kureha Limited in July 1989; currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
1963 |
February |
The Tsuruga Plant starts producing cast polypropylene films (production transferred in January 1981 to Tsuruga Film Co., Ltd., which became Cast Film Japan Co., Ltd. in January 2015; currently an associate accounted for using the equity method) |
1964 |
May |
The Iwakuni Plant starts producing polyester (polymerization, spinning) |
December |
The Tsuruga Plant starts producing biaxially oriented polypropylene films (production transferred to Inuyama Plant in April 1969) |
|
1966 |
April |
Merges with Kureha Boseki and taps into the nylon business (Tsuruga Nylon Plant; currently the Tsuruga Functional Materials Plant) |
1968 |
March |
The Inuyama Plant discontinues the pulp business and switches to the film business |
1970 |
June |
Makes a full-fledged foray into the plastics business |
1971 |
September |
Enters the biochemistry business |
October |
Establishes Toyobo Real Estate Co., Ltd. (currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
|
December |
The Inuyama Plant starts producing biaxially oriented polyester films |
|
1972 |
July |
Establishes Toyobo Engineering Co., Ltd. (currently a consolidated subsidiary) |
1975 |
May |
Enters the active carbon fiber business |
1976 |
July |
The Inuyama Plant starts producing biaxially oriented nylon films |
August |
The Tsuruga Plant starts producing polyester spunbond nonwoven fabrics |
|
September |
The Katata Research Center and the Takatsuki Research Center are consolidated to form the Research Center |
|
1977 |
October |
Starts producing the “Printight” photosensitive water-wash nylon resin relief printing plate |
1978 |
November |
Launches the Tsuruga Enzyme Plant (currently the Tsuruga Biochemicals Plant) |
1980 |
May |
The Iwakuni Plant starts producing the “HOLLOSEP” reverse-osmosis membranes for seawater desalination (currently the Iwakuni Membrane Plant) |
1983 |
November |
Launches the Iwakuni Membrane Plant |
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1984 |
May |
The Iwakuni Membrane Plant starts full-fledged production of artificial kidney hollow fiber |
1985 |
October |
Enters the pharmaceutical business |
December |
Starts full-fledged production of engineering plastics |
|
1989 |
April |
Takes over the sales team for the acrylic fiber “Exlan” division from Diafibers Co., Ltd. |
1990 |
May |
Launches the Otsu Pharmaceuticals Plant |
1991 |
April |
Starts full-fledged production of the “Dyneema” ultra-high-strength polyethylene fiber |
1992 |
April |
Launches the Tsuruga Biochemicals Research Center |
1995 |
November |
The Tsuruga Plant and the Tsuruga Nylon Plant are consolidated under the name of the Tsuruga Plant |
1998 |
October |
The Tsuruga Plant starts full-fledged production of the “ZYLON” high-performance fibers with excellent durability and heat resistance |
2001 |
April |
Merges Nippon Magphane through absorption-type merger to form Tsuruga Films Plant |
2002 |
February |
Establishes Toyobo Wool Co., Ltd. (Toyobo Techno Wool Co., Ltd. from April 2003; merged by Miyukikeori Co., Ltd. through an absorption-type merger in April 2018) |
April |
Introduces a production center system in the Tsuruga and Iwakuni areas, and reorganizes into the Tsuruga Research and Production Center (Tsuruga Fibers Plant, Tsuruga Film Plant, Tsuruga Functional Materials Plant, Tsuruga Polymer Plant, Tsuruga Biochemicals Plant and Tsuruga Biochemicals Research Center) and the Iwakuni Production Center (Iwakuni Fibers Plant, Iwakuni Polymers Plant and Iwakuni Functional Membranes Plant) |
|
2003 |
October |
Introduces the production center system in the Toyama area, and reorganizes three cotton processing plants (Nyuzen, Inami, Shogawa) into the Toyama Production Center |
2006 |
April |
Consolidated the Tsuruga Textile Plant into the Tsuruga Functional Materials Plant, and renamed the Iwakuni Textile Plant as the Iwakuni Functional Materials Plant |
2008 |
April |
Spins off development/sales divisions of textiles and trading business of the Company and films and functional polymers business, industrial materials business, and textiles and trading business of Shinkoh Sangyo Ltd. to establish Toyobo Specialties Trading Co., Ltd. (renamed Toyobo STC Co., Ltd. in October 2013; currently a consolidated subsidiary) through a joint incorporation-type company split |
2010 |
March |
Merges with Toyo Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. to launch the Takasago Plant |
2012 |
October |
Changes the company name to Toyobo Co., Ltd. |
2018 |
April |
Establishes Xenomax - Japan Co., Ltd., which produces and sells “XENOMAX” high heat-resistant polyimide film |
2019 |
October |
Acquires shares in Teijin Film Solutions Limited and PT. Indonesia Teijin Film Solutions and converts them into subsidiaries, with the companies renamed Toyobo Film Solutions Limited and PT. Indonesia Toyobo Film Solutions (currently a consolidated subsidiary), respectively |
2021 |
April |
The Company merges with Toyobo Film Solutions Limited through an absorption-type merger to launch the Utsunomiya Plant |
2022 |
April |
Toyobo STC Co., Ltd. spins off its textile business to launch Toyobo Textile Co., Ltd. |
For more information on the history of the company's growth and the birth of its products, see here.