About Us
Kisuma is the steadfast enabler that empowers so many industries. From window profiles, to vehicles, food packaging, flooring, textiles, and even 5G networking technology, our products play a crucial role.
Our ingredients, though often used in larger formulas, deliver outsized improvements: making products more durable, raising food quality, minimising environmental-footprints, making vehicles more reliable, safe and long-lasting, and ensuring that communication technologies are future-ready.
1952
Company established
1,000+
Employees
10%
Workforce dedicated to research & development
7
Offices worldwide
Our history
Immediately after the war in 1947, when the city was still recovering, the factory was established by Matsushima Ryohei on the rubble of a salt field in Takamatsu, Japan with only a handful of employees. In 1950 while witnessing poverty at the Osaka Port during the Great Depression, Matsushima Yoshio, who later became Kyowa’s first president, swore “It is wrong that people have to endure such hardship. We must provide opportunities for our employees and their families! We must succeed!” This determination and spirit fuelled the start of a pilot plant that produced Magnesium Oxide and Magnesium Hydroxide.
In 1951, resources and equipment were difficult to obtain. At that time, sake barrels were scarcely being used by the breweries. Intuitively, Kyowa (which would later become known as Kisuma) determined that the sake barrels could be used as tanks for raw materials. These became the first tanks used as storage for bittern. Consistent production growth proved to Mr. Matsushima that Kyowa could be a successful and sustainable business.
On Thursday, September 17, 1952, Kyowa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. was officially established.
1950 - 1970s
1956
Opening of Yashima Plant and Tokyo Office
1957
Innovators at heart, Kyowa began the start of Dried aluminum hydroxide gel production.
1960
Opening of Sakaide Plant
1970
Kyowa becomes the first company in the world to be successful in the industrial synthesis of hydrotalcites.
1977
Start of DHT-4A™ production, a halogen scavenger for polyolefins and other plastics
1980 - 1990s
1981
Start of ALCAMIZER™ production, a heat stabilizer for PVC
1982
Start of KISUMA™ 5 production, an inorganic flame retardant.
1992
Opening of new R&D center in Sakaide
1999
Initiation of production at Kisuma Chemicals B.V., the Netherlands. Sale of Magmitt™ started
Early 2000s
2005
Establishment of Pharmaceuticals Division.
2009
Operation of Dandong Songyuan Chemicals Co., Ltd. (China) commenced.
2010s
2012
Opening of Sakaide Second Plant.
2014
KISUMA AMERICAS INC. opened in the United States of America. KISUMA ASIA SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. opened in Singapore.
2016
KISUMA CHEMICAL TRADING (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD. opened in China.
2017
Kisuma Food Service Co.,Ltd. opened in Japan.
2020s
2021
Mr. Koji Kinoshita appointed as new Representative Director CEO Kyowa takes over 100% of Dandong Songyuan Chemicals Co., Ltd. and changes its corporate name to Kisuma (Dandong) Advanced Materials Tech. Co., Ltd. Relocation of Head Office from Sakaide to Takamatsu.
2022
Opening of Pilot Plant and new laboratory for controlled release products in Veendam, Netherlands.
