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Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Masaaki Ito; “Kuraray”) has announced its decision to expand production facilities for optical-use poval film, which serve as a base film for polarized film, an essential component of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), at its Saijo Plant (Saijo, Ehime, Japan). Details are given below.

• The global LCD market continues to steadily grow as LCD TVs and portable devices, including smartphones and tablets, become more commonplace. LCD TVs in particular are leading market expansion due to the increasingly fine resolution of their displays and the growing size of their screens.
• Under these market conditions, demand is expected to steadily expand for optical-use poval film, which serve as a base film for the polarized film that is an essential component of LCDs. Kuraray has therefore deemed it necessary to expand its production facilities to maintain a stable supply.
• Moreover, to meet recent calls for thinner polarized film, the production line slated for expansion will be utilized to manufacture high quality thin-type optical-use poval film of 45 μm or less.
• As the leading producer of optical-use poval film, Kuraray will continue to focus on developing new products, improving product quality and enhancing its supply system to meet the diversifying needs of its customers.

Kuraray will expand its annual production capacity of optical-use poval film from the current 212 million m2 to 232 million m².

The Kuraray Group has identified the cultivation of new demand in its core businesses as a main management strategy under the GS-STEP medium-term management plan initiated this fiscal year. In the vinyl acetate business in particular, we are continuing to strengthen our global business base as the top global supplier. In poval film, we aim to further expand business for both optical-use and industrial-use (including water-soluble) poval film.

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