FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2017
12:30 p.m. CDT

KURARAY AMERICA, INC. STATEMENT ON HURRICANE HARVEY IMPACT

HOUSTON – Officials with Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) have confirmed that there have been no incidents, injuries, or damage to KAI facilities at this time. All employees are accounted for and only essential personnel are on-site at the plants per emergency procedure. Due to Hurricane Harvey, KAI has reduced or stopped production at some facilities to manage raw material and finished product inventory. We will resume normal operations as soon as weather and supply conditions permit.

“Kuraray echoes the appreciation expressed by all Houstonians and surrounding counties during this time,” said George Avdey, president and CEO of Kuraray America, Inc. “Safety of our staff and families is our number one priority. We expect to be closed until further notice, but haven’t experienced any serious damage to our plants so will expect a quick recovery once the city is up and running again.”

Out of an abundance of caution, we moved product to out-of-state warehouses to avoid supply issues in anticipation of the storm. We will use all of our best efforts to meet customer demand during this time. We do not expect that Hurricane Harvey will affect our ability to service our customers.

Kuraray America, Inc. is fully cooperating with all local authorities and emergency response teams. We will provide additional information as it becomes available. All employees are asked to continue to report their status to their supervisors so we can monitor the needs of our employees.

 

About Kuraray

Founded in 1926, Kuraray is a world leader in performance-based polymer and synthetic chemistry technologies, including resins, chemicals, fibers and textiles. It was the first entity in the world to bring polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) synthetic fiber to market. The Japan-based company operates 22 subsidiaries around the world, including Kuraray America, Inc., which is headquartered in Houston. For more information, visit www.kuraray.us.com and www.kuraray.co.jp/en.

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Jennifer Murphy
936-328-7940
Jennifer.Murphy@Kuraray.com