San Francisco, CA — July 2026 — Uncountable, an AI platform for end-to-end product development, today announced that Kuraray Co., Ltd., a global specialty chemical company marking its 100th anniversary in 2026, is scaling its use of Uncountable to a global rollout across its R&D organization. After piloting, testing, and rolling out the platform across several of its labs, Kuraray is now extending it to international research teams to accelerate data-driven development. The initiative is delivered in collaboration with Nagase & Co., Ltd., Uncountable’s partner in Japan.
Kuraray’s Research and Development Division (Corporate R&D Division) supports a broad portfolio of products including resins, chemicals, activated carbon, fibers and textiles, and other highly functional products which are developed and manufactured across Kuraray’s global operations. Kuraray began evaluating Uncountable and other data management and utilization platforms in 2024.
Meeting the requirements for global, data-driven R&D
Kuraray identified four requirements for a platform that could enable data-driven development across the company, and selected Uncountable because it aligned well with these requirements:
• Support for diverse, hierarchical data. Uncountable supports the management of the numerical, textual, image, and instrument-specific data generated across Kuraray’s materials development, including hierarchical structures such as the synthesis conditions of both a final product and its raw materials.
• Global accessibility and seamless sharing. Real-time data sharing in the cloud enables teams around the world to collaborate without exchanging files by email or storing them in shared directories.
• Usability. An intuitive interface and flexible data visualization let users switch display axes and drill directly into the experimental data behind any plot.
• A comprehensive feature set for R&D efficiency. Capabilities such as correlation analysis, Bayesian optimization, and automated analysis of instrument data through Uncountable’s uploader help improve the efficiency of development activities.
“Kuraray develops a wide range of materials across many sites, which generates many different types of data,” said Kota Seshimo, Researcher and Data Scientist in the Digital Solutions Department, Research and Development Division at Kuraray. “We needed a platform that could handle that diversity - including hierarchical data - and make it easy to share globally and analyze efficiently. Uncountable satisfied our four key requirements, which is why we selected it as our platform for data-driven development.”
Early results
Since implementing Uncountable, Kuraray has:
• Structured experimental data without increasing the data-entry burden on researchers;
• Identified candidate formulations and conditions meeting or exceeding target specifications through AI-driven analysis; and
• Improved data sharing across sites and organizations.
A close partnership with Nagase in Japan
In Japan, Nagase provides hands-on support for Kuraray’s use of Uncountable, answering platform questions, delivering training, building technical solutions for automated data transfer via SFTP and APIs, and channeling feedback into continuous improvement. Nagase and Kuraray meet frequently, and they connect in person with Uncountable representatives during visits to Japan.
“Nagase and Uncountable provide timely support and maintain a close working relationship with us,” said Seshimo. “This has supported our efforts to expand data-driven development and address challenges in our development activities through data science. Looking ahead, we plan to further embed a culture of data management and AI-driven analysis across the company and support future development activities through broader use of data and AI.”
Building a foundation for AI-driven innovation
“For nearly a century, Kuraray has been one of Japan’s most respected names in specialty chemicals, built on a heritage of pioneering materials innovation,” said Will Tashman, CRO and Co-Founder of Uncountable. “We’re honored to support their researchers as they carry that legacy forward and build a truly data-driven organization. Together with our partner Nagase, we’re giving Kuraray’s teams around the world a single, structured foundation for their experimental data — and the analytics and AI capabilities to turn that data into faster innovation.”
About Kuraray
Kuraray, a pioneer in Japan’s synthetic fiber industry, was founded in 1926 in Kurashiki, Okayama. After establishing a strong presence as a fiber manufacturer, Kuraray leveraged its unique polymer and synthetic chemistry technologies to transition into the chemical industry. Today, Kuraray stands as a leading global specialty chemical company, manufacturing and selling resins, chemicals, activated carbon, fibers and textiles, and other highly functional products in more than 30 countries and regions worldwide. For more information, visit www.kuraray.com.
About Nagase & Co., Ltd.
Nagase & Co., Ltd. is a global business enterprise operating in a wide range of fields, including chemicals, electronics, mobility, energy, food, medical products, and biotechnology. NAGASE possesses trading, manufacturing, and R&D functions, and provides unique value by combining these functions. For more information about Nagase, visit www.nagase.co.jp/english/. For more information about Uncountable solutions and support provided by Nagase in Japan, visit www.nagase.com/jp/ja/products/uncountable.
About Uncountable
Uncountable is the AI platform for end-to-end product development, helping research and product development teams centralize, structure, and leverage their data to accelerate innovation. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Francisco, Uncountable unifies ELN, LIMS, QC LIMS, PLM, and QMS on a single structured data model, connecting the full path from raw material through formulation to finished product. Learn more at uncountable.com.
