Tosoh Corporation Announces Doubling of Toyopearl Production Capacity
Tokyo, Japan - Tosoh Corporation has decided to build a new production line for its Toyopearl separation media at its Nanyo Complex in Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The company plans to begin construction in April 2011. Completion of the new production line is scheduled one year from now for April 2012 and will double the Tosoh Group's production capacity for Toyopearl.
Toyopearl separation media, from Tosoh's Bioscience Division, consists of hydrophilic, cross-linked polymer spheres ranging in diameter from 20 to 150 micrometers. It features superior mechanical and chemical stability, and high adsorption capacity. These properties render Toyopearl suitable for the industrial-scale separation and purification processes commonly used by pharmaceutical and food product companies, for example. As a result, Toyopearl is in extensive use in such industries' manufacturing processes.
Toyopearl is especially popular within the biopharmaceutical industry. That industry is rapidly spreading from the developed nations of Europe, Japan, and the United States to the developing countries, such as China, India, and others. And the geographical expansion of the market has brought about a sharp increase in demand for Toyopearl. In response, Tosoh has chosen to undertake the large-scale expansion of its Toyopearl production capacity. To further respond to customer needs, in August 2010 Tosoh added to its separation media product lineup for purification processes by introducing AF-rProtein A-650F. The product is a special grade of Toyopearl for antibody drug purification, the area of greatest demand for separation media in the biopharmaceutical products industry. The company’s expanded production capacity for Toyopearl serves the rising market demand for various products that will be used in this area.
Tosoh's new Toyopearl manufacturing facility will fully take into consideration the use of Toyopearl in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. The product line will include enhanced clean room facilities and other measures that will further raise the bar on Tosoh's already high standards of quality control.
Tosoh, meanwhile, is redoubling its efforts to expand its business in the separation media market. The company is strengthening the sales activities and laboratory functions and technical support services of its bases in Japan, the United States, Germany, China, and Singapore. It also is improving its provision of product and technology information by renewing its websites.
Tosoh's bioscience business is expanding globally in three markets: separations, clinical diagnostics, and genetic testing. Its separation product lines include high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems as well as columns and separation media. Its offerings for the clinical diagnostic market center on glycohemoglobin HPLC analyzers and automated immunoassay (AIA) analyzers and reagents. And the company has introduced diagnostic equipment for the genetic testing market based on the real-time amplification and detection of ribonucleic acid (RNA).
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 140 companies worldwide and a multiethnic workforce of over 11,000 people and generated net sales of ¥628.7 billion (US$6.8 billion at the year-end rate of ¥93.04 to the US dollar) in fiscal 2010, ended March 31, 2010.
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
For more information, please contact
Michael Hoover
International Corporate Development
Tosoh Corporation
[email protected]
Tel: +81-3-5427-5118
Fax: +81-3-5427-5198
www.tosoh.com