Tokyo, Japan—Tosoh Corporation announced today its decision to expand the production facilities for zirconia powder, a type of fine ceramic, at its Nanyo Complex in Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Construction on the expansion will start in April, with completion scheduled for the end of November. The facilities expansion is expected to cost more than ¥1.0 billion. Together with Tosoh’s Yokkaichi Complex zirconia production facilities, the expansion will raise Tosoh’s production capacity for zirconia nearly 20%.
Tosoh’s zirconia operations began with the construction of the world’s first commercial plant for zirconia at its Nanyo Complex in 1983. Since then, the company has expanded its zirconia production capacity at the complex to meet rising demand for zirconia globally.
By March 2009, demand was so high that Tosoh built a new zirconia plant at its Yokkaichi Complex, moving its zirconia manufacturing to a two-plant production structure. This boosted the company’s production capacity and safeguarded it against the risk posed by having just a single plant for zirconia products amid high demand and market shares. With two plants, it was assured of meeting demand even should something happen to production at one of those plants. The two-plant advantage helped to solidify Tosoh’s overwhelming global market share based on the superior and stable quality of its products.
Tosoh is known for its yttria-stabilized zirconia powder. The addition of about 5% yttria to the zirconia produces a product that lacks the brittleness of traditional ceramics. This breakthrough in fine ceramics yields what is known as ceramic steel, a product widely used in applications such as grinding media used to manufacture materials that go into various structural parts and electronic components.
More recently, Tosoh has added lines of translucent and colored grades of zirconia. Demand for these grades is steadily growing for use as dental materials in esthetic dentistry and for ornamental accessories, such as high-fashion luxury wristwatches. Because of its hardness and biocompatibility, zirconia also has application in biomaterials, such as artificial joints, and demand is expected to increase in this area.
In addition to zirconia, Tosoh’s Advanced Materials Division produces chemical manganese oxide, synthetic zeolite, quartz and quartzware, and sputtering targets. Tosoh plans to further expand its business and strengthen its earnings capability based on these products.
TOSOH CORPORATION
WHO WE ARE
Tosoh Corporation is a Japanese chemical company established in 1935 and listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It is the parent of the Tosoh Group, which comprises 133 companies worldwide and a multiethnic workforce of over 11,000 people and generated net sales of ¥684.4 billion (US$8.2 billion at the year-end rate of ¥83.15 to the US dollar) in fiscal 2011, ended March 31, 2011.
WHAT WE DO
Tosoh is one of the largest chlor-alkali manufacturers in Asia. The Company supplies the plastic resins and an array of the basic chemicals that support modern life. Tosoh's petrochemical operations supply ethylene, polymers, and polyethylene, while its advanced materials business serves the global semiconductor, display, and solar industries. Tosoh has also pioneered sophisticated bioscience systems that are used for the rapid diagnosis of life-threatening diseases, such as diabetes and certain cancers, and to prevent epidemics by identifying pathogenic microbes. In addition, Tosoh develops products and provides services to purify water and to monitor the environment as part of a commitment to a sustainable future.
Stock Exchange Ticker Symbol: JP: 4042