Sumitomo Chemical transfers intellectual property rights of rearranged caprolactam manufacturing technology to High Chemical

Japanese Sumitomo Chemical announced on November 26 a transfer agreement with Gao Chemical, under which the vapor-phase Beckmann rearrangement process for caprolactam technology is being transferred over to Gao. Gao Chemical is going to inherit the intellectual property rights to the technology and will build a global tech licensing business.

With cyclohexanone oxime as raw material, the vapor-phase Beckmann rearrangement caprolactam manufacturing technology is used to produce caprolactam, one of the key raw materials for the production of nylon 6. This is the first commercially operated caprolactam process in the world that does not generate ammonium sulfate as a by-product. However, in 2022 Sumitomo Chemical withdrew from the caprolactam business.

Meanwhile, Sumitomo Chemical has committed itself to business restructuring through enhanced sustainability of short-term performance, regaining of financial viability by FY2024, and structural change measures that would further strengthen its business foundation.