Organic Chemicals
The Specialty Group has three main objectives for its organic chemicals business. Firstly, it aims to boost profitability through a reinforced production structure and competitive pricing in ethyleneamines, bromines, and flame retardants. Secondly, it intends to create new business amid emerging demand for environmentally friendly polyurethane amine catalysts, heavy metals treatment agents, and industrial cleaners. Finally, it will hone the group’s reputation as a source of organic electroluminescent materials.
Tosoh is a global leader in production of ethyleneamines, exporting around 80% of its 71,000-metric-ton annual output. Tosoh intends to uphold this position by prioritizing increased production of high molecular weight amines. This is part of a continued effort by the Specialty Group to shift toward high molecular weight amines while enlarging the group’s ethyleneamine derivative network globally. Further efforts include developing systems that better produce the isocyanates and polyols for the group’s RZETA polyurethane catalyst operations, which are essential to the automotive and furniture industries, and buttressing the capacity of its Toyocat facilities.
Long-term, the Specialty Group maintains a twofold business strategy for its eco-business products and services. It will continue to produce the piperazine-based agents essential to its environmental product line, and will at the same time expand to emerging markets in Asia, including China, where rapid economic development has brought pressing environmental concerns.
Advanced Materials
Zeolites
Tosoh is expanding production capacity for HSZ at its Nanyo Complex about 30% at a cost of ¥10 billion. Construction on additional HSZ manufacturing facilities at the complex is due to begin in May 2018 and to be completed in March 2019, with commercial production expected to start in August 2019. The new facilities will join the HSZ production facility Tosoh built in Malaysia in 2016 in furthering Tosoh’s HSZ manufacturing capacity.
Ceramics
The Specialty Group intends to remain a key contributor to the global fine ceramics market, a position it has held since introducing Zpex, a translucent, colored, high-strength grade of zirconia, in 2011. This was furthered by the introduction of Zpex Smile, a high-translucency zirconia for front teeth, in 2014.
The Specialty Group will build on that positioning by capitalizing on zirconia’s popularity in applications for wristwatches, car accessories, and mobile phones.
Battery Materials
Tosoh is the world’s largest producer of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD), which has positioned Tosoh as a top supplier of EMD to the global conventional battery market.
Elsewhere, demand for lithium-ion secondary batteries is expected to continue growing amid expanding demand and production of electric vehicles, as well as rising standards of living globally, which has seen an increased use of portable and electronic devices. To capture this interest, the Specialty Group is establishing itself as a principal producer of manganese-based cathode materials for the lithium-ion secondary battery market.
Electronic Materials
Demand is also growing for thin-film materials and quartz, two areas where the Specialty Group is expanding operations. In fiscal 2017, fused silica glass shipments for the semiconductor industry grew on the back of increased demand for handheld devices, automobile and other consumer electronic products, and digital information technologies.
Further developments include pursuing measures to serve the next-generation memory and printable electronics markets, and expanding sales of products for atomic layer deposition and coating applications.
Bioscience
Separation and Purification
Tosoh is committed to a major presence in the global bioscience market. Through its Specialty Group, it has established its bioscience brands in the leading markets of Japan, the United States, and nations in Europe. The group now targets high-growth markets in China, India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Over the medium term, the focus is on selling high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation columns and Toyopearl separation media.
Tosoh began expanding its Toyopearl production facilities at the Nanyo Complex in October 2016. Construction is expected to end in August 2018, and commercial operations are anticipated to launch in April 2019. The new facilities should expand Toyopearl production around 50% and enable Tosoh to respond to growing global demand for purification media from the antibody drug manufacturing industry.
Clinical Diagnostics
Tosoh continues to build its worldwide presence in clinical diagnostic systems. The company has an especially positive reputation in the global diabetes market thanks to its line of Specialty Group glycohemoglobin (GHb) analyzers.
The Specialty Group’s plans include producing compact, reasonably priced GHb analyzers suitable for developed and developing countries and expanding the support network for all of its GHb analyzer models.
The global molecular testing market, too, is growing steadily and is estimated to be worth over ¥500 billion. Market growth is particularly strong in emerging countries, where molecular testing is most valued in testing for infectious diseases, for which Tosoh’s nucleic-acid amplification testing products are particularly useful. The group has made steady inroads in the market, especially with its next-generation TRCReady-80 molecular testing system.