Specialty Group

The company's business is centered on ethyleneamines, environmental chemicals, bromine, and flame retardants. Our highly original products contribute to the reduction of environmental impact and support people’s daily lives.

SWOT Analysis

 Strengths

• Creation of new technologies through organic synthesis technology
• Global sales bases
• Collaboration across manufacturing, sales, and research departments

 Weaknesses

• Smaller business scale compared with major global corporations
• Time spent from new business launch to market release

 Opportunities

• Chemical products indispensable to society and a stable market
• Few bromine and ethyleneamines manufacturers in Asia

 Threats

• Decrease in demand due to global economic slowdown
• New plant expansion by competitors

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Objective

The Organic Chemicals Division, with its highly original product line, supports people's daily lives by utilizing advanced organic synthesis technologies that contribute to solving social issues centered on the environment.

While continuing to support the social infrastructure with materials such as ethyleneamines and bromine, we aim to develop a sustainable society where environmental protection is ensured for future generations and people across the globe can enjoy peace of mind through our new products.

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Growth Strategy

Manufactured from the seawater method with low environmental impact, bromine is used as a raw material for organic intermediates and resin flame retardants. We aim to maintain our domestic bromine market share and expand into Asia. Regarding amines, we will develop high-value-added derivatives in order to increase profits throughout the amine chain. Through our eco business, which includes heavy metal treatment agents that insolubilize heavy metals contained in waste incineration ashes to prevent soil contamination and cleaning agents with low environmental impact, we will work to expand our market by refining our proprietary technologies.

In new businesses such as conductive materials and chemicals that prevent the release of aldehyde, we aim to commercialize products as soon as possible through differentiated technologies. Conductive materials play a crucial role in the digitized society, and aldehyde is a causative agent of sick building syndrome.

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Message from the Senior General Manager

With no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to forecast global demand. We will take fullest possible advantage of our status as one of Asia’s few manufacturers of bromine and ethyleneamines to ensure stable supply—regardless of global demand trends—and expand our customer base.

At the same time, the Organic Chemicals Division will contribute to social changes based on SDGs. This includes the realization of carbon neutrality—an urgent issue worldwide—and responses in the environmental and energy fields, through its advanced organic synthesis and differentiated technologies.

Takahiko Kamezaki
Vice President
Senior General Manager, Organic Chemicals Division

The company operates in the fields of separation and purification and diagnosis, providing services ranging from the development, manufacture, and sale of instruments and reagents to maintenance and customer support.

SWOT Analysis

 Strengths

• Proprietary technology based on separation
• Extensive lineup of diagnostic items and automated instruments
• Worldwide sales network

 Weaknesses

• Single manufacturing base for each product
• Time and cost required to create new products

 Opportunities

• Demand due to trends in pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Increase in testing opportunities due to infectious disease outbreaks

 Threats

• Market contraction due to consolidation of hospitals and laboratories in Japan and overseas
• Compliance with laws and regulations on a worldwide basis

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Objective

The Bioscience Division strives to contribute to society worldwide by supplying in vitro diagnostic reagents and products that are essential to pharmaceutical companies’ production.

We work to provide optimal solutions to our customers and strive to be recognized in the market as a company that is regarded highly by its customers.

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Growth Strategy

By developing and manufacturing instruments and reagents, we aim to expand our business in our target fields, become a revenue pillar as one of the core businesses of the Specialty Group, and broaden our market presence.

To achieve this goal, we will extend our existing product lineup by increasing the number of diagnostic products and expanding analytical column and separation media products mainly for biotechnology. We will also increase sales by expanding the lineup of existing products, developing products for peripheral businesses that generate synergistic effects, and creating new businesses through joint research and M&A.

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Message from the Senior General Manager

In the diagnostics field, which deals with products for diagnosing diseases, and in the separation and purification field, which mainly deals with products for separating, purifying, and analyzing pharmaceutical raw materials, the Bioscience Division is globally developing product groups that can contribute to people’s “Good Health and Well-Being,” Goal 3 of the SDGs.

We will continue our business growth through technological innovation, expanding existing product lines, diversifying into peripheral fields, and creating new business opportunities. At the same time, we will develop a global sales and support system that can continuously provide solutions and contribute to people worldwide.

Masanobu Kasai, PhD
Vice President
Senior General Manager, Bioscience Division

With a wide array of products including synthetic zeolites, zirconia, thin film materials, and silica glass, we are expanding our business globally. Featuring unique functional capabilities, our products contribute to the enrichment of society and the reduction of environmental impact.

SWOT Analysis

 Strengths

• High-performance product lineup based on proprietary technologies
• Accumulation and transmission of knowhow and experience accumulated through extensive customer support
• Global brand recognition
• Supply stability with multiple production bases

 Weaknesses

• Exchange rate fluctuations

 Opportunities

• New demand inspired by trend toward carbon neutrality
• Healthcare needs associated with promotion of health investment and realization of a health-promoting society
• Long-term demand for semiconductors

 Threats

• Intensifying competition due to the rise of competitors

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Objective

The Advanced Materials Division aims to become a powerful specialty business with a strong presence in the global market by providing products and services with new value based on its proprietary technologies. Our mission is to provide products that contribute to enriching society and reducing environmental impact.

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Growth Strategy

We will promote business growth through the development of new technologies, cultivation of untapped markets, and M&A by focusing on the areas of environment and energy, electronic materials, and life science where high growth is anticipated.

The core business domains of this division are battery materials, synthetic zeolites, zirconia, quartz, and thin film materials. These domains will provide the technology seeds necessary to meet future needs. Focusing on these, as well as market demands, will strengthen the foundation of the division, thereby promoting growth.

Furthermore, we have introduced the concept of intellectual property landscape as a method of searching for new technologies, and are building our own search tools, which will lay the groundwork for future growth.

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Message from the Senior General Manager

The strength of the Specialty business is determined by the function of the product and the extent of its value to the customer. For this reason, we need to continue to lead in technology and promote the improvement and creation of customer value by disseminating new technologies before anyone else.

Furthermore, changes in customers’ values not only pose a risk, but present a significant opportunity. To provide products that meet market needs in a timely manner, it is important that we increase our access to technologies and technical knowledge, and that we disseminate this information throughout the company and share it accurately with the next generation of employees. This is the decisive factor for the Specialty business.

Nobukatsu Omichi
Vice President
Senior General Manager, Advanced Materials Division