Kaneka establishes new company in Brazil and holds opening ceremony

KANEKA CORPORATION
October 31, 2013
On October 1, Kaneka Corporation (Osaka, Japan; President: Kimikazu Sugawara) established Kaneka South America Representative Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “KSA”), a company engaged in promoting sales of Kaneka-affiliated products, market survey activities and providing technical services, in São Paulo City, Federal Republic of Brazil (hereinafter referred to as “Brazil”). The opening ceremony was held at 6 p.m. (local time) on October 22 with 101 people in attendance, including Mr. Noriteru Fukushima, Consul General of Japan in São Paulo, trading partners and affiliates.

KSA is the first South American base of Kaneka Americas Holding, Inc., an American holdings company established in April 2012 to oversee Kaneka’s business across the United States and effectively promote its global expansion. The aim is to accelerate the expansion of Kaneka’s business in Central and South America, especially the Brazilian market where economic growth is expected, and cultivate new markets leveraging Kaneka’s technology and products.

Brazil currently has the fifth largest population and the sixth largest GDP in the world. Thanks to planned events like the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 , further economic growth is anticipated. As a local base for dissemination, KSA will take full advantage of the growth of Central and South American markets, centering on Brazil, and play a role in accelerating Kaneka’s global expansion.

Outline of Kaneka South America Representative Ltd.

Business: Promotion of Kaneka-affiliated product sales, market survey activities and provision of technical services
Capital: 2 million reais
Shareholder composition: Kaneka Corporation (90%), Kaneka Americas Holding, Inc. (10%)
Established: October 1, 2013
Location: São Paulo City, Federal Republic of Brazil
Representative: Kazuki Kudo