Seavans North Building, 1-2-1, Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8449, Japan (Tokyo head office) 1978-96 Kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi 755-8633, Japan (Ube head office)
UBE Corporation (UBE株式会社, Yū-bī-ī Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese chemical company manufacturing chemicals, plastics, battery materials, pharmaceuticals, cement, construction materials, and machinery.[2]
The former company name is Ube Industries, Ltd. (宇部興産株式会社, Ube Kōsan Kabushiki-gaisha)
The company was founded in 1897 when Sukesaku Watanabe —an industrialist, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan and a deputy mayor of Ube— established Okinoyama Coal Mine, the predecessor of the present Ube industries.
Since then, the company has established six core business units: Chemicals & plastics, specialty chemicals & products, cement, pharmaceuticals, machinery and metal products, energy and environment.
Ube provides advanced materials for various defense and aerospace applications, for example it's Tyranno fiber (a material incorporating a silicon/titanium mix) is used as a stealth material in the X-2 experimental aircraft.[4]
Corporate governance
Board directors
Chairperson and Director
Hiroaki Tamura
President and Representative Director
Michio Takeshita (CEO, also holds the post of vice chairperson of the Japan Chemical Industry Association)[5]
Representative Director
Kazuhiko Okada
Directors
Akinori Furukawa (CCO, General Director of General affairs and Personnel Office)
Makoto Umetsu (General Director of Research and Development)
The presidents of the Ube Chamber of Commerce and Industry are elected from retired persons of The company. Serving president Yasuhisa Chiba (he was Representative Director of Ube industries) also holds the post of vice chairperson of the Chemical Society of Japan.[6] Some employees of the Ube Group are elected to assemblyman.
UBE Group is doing business worldwide, especially Thailand (Rayong Province) and Spain (Province of Castellón) are main sites for petrochemical business. UBE Chemicals (Asia) Public Company Ltd. (UCHA) is one of the cogent chemical companies in Thailand. The company is the sole caprolactam producer in Thailand. Dr. Charunya Phichitkul, the president of UCHA also holds the post of vice chairperson of the petrochemical Industry Club The Federation of Thai Industries.[7]