{"id":4794,"date":"2026-05-12T19:39:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/?p=4794"},"modified":"2026-05-12T19:39:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T10:39:34","slug":"zeon-invests-in-mizushima-gpi-facility-to-strengthen-c5-business-competitiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/zeon-invests-in-mizushima-gpi-facility-to-strengthen-c5-business-competitiveness","title":{"rendered":"Zeon invests in Mizushima GPI facility to strengthen C5 business competitiveness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zeon Corporation<\/strong> (Zeon; head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tetsuya Toyoshima) has decided to invest in a new facility at the GPI*1 plant, located inside the Mizushima Plant (Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture; Plant Manager: Yasumasa Mori). This will increase the production capacity of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) by approximately 20% from current levels. DCPD is the main raw material for Cyclo-Olefin Polymers (COP) and COP optical film, which are key products and growth drivers of Zeon\u2019s C5 business, as well as other products. As a result of this investment, we will be able to secure a stable supply of DCPD without increasing production of piperylene and other materials used in commodity chemicals. The new facility will also utilize previously unused components, thereby contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Construction will begin the second half of fiscal 2026 and is scheduled for completion in September 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n

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GPI plant at the Mizushima Plant<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Mizushima Plant, Zeon\u2019s flagship plant, began operations in 1969 for the comprehensive utilization of C5 fractions through the GPI process. Products derived from this process, such as isoprene, DCPD, piperylene, and 2-butyne, are used in a wide variety of products, including synthetic rubbers, COP, petroleum resin, and synthetic aroma chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DCPD is used as a raw material for COP and other highly profitable products such as RIM compounds. Under our Medium-Term Business Plan: STAGE30, we have positioned COP and COP optical film as key growth drivers, with demand expected to continue expanding steadily in the years ahead.*2 In response to this anticipated growth, we have explored various approaches to securing the raw materials needed to meet rising demand. As a result, we developed a technology that enables the utilization of previously unused feedstock components, allowing us to ensure a stable supply of raw materials without the need to procure additional C5 fractions. Furthermore, the new process is expected to reduce CO2 emissions more effectively than extraction of raw materials from C5 fractions, thereby contributing to carbon neutrality.

Under STAGE30, Zeon is restructuring its portfolio through selection and concentration, and the latest investment is aimed at boosting competitiveness in addition to further expanding its C5 business. Zeon will continue to address market needs and meet societal expectations, while also contributing to more comfortable lives for people around the world.
*1 Geon Process of Isoprene: Zeon\u2019s proprietary extractive distillation technology for obtaining highly pure active components from C5 fractions
contained in naphtha.
*2 In addition to COP, we have also begun construction to expand COP optical film production capacity in response to growing demand.
Zeon holds groundbreaking ceremony for construction of new Cyclo-Olefin Polymers production plant to be completed in first half of fiscal 2028<\/a><\/strong>
Zeon holds groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new production line for retardation film at the Himi Futagami Plant, with mass production of 3,000-mm-wide films, among the world\u2019s widest, scheduled to begin in summer 2027<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zeon Corporation (Zeon; head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tetsuya Toyoshima) has decided to invest in a new facility at the GPI*1 plant,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,9],"tags":[10],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4794"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4794"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4797,"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4794\/revisions\/4797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctiweb.co.jp\/con\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}