Tokyo, Japan—Tosoh will build new laboratories at its Yokkaichi Complex in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, to accommodate the centralization of select R&D operations at that complex. Centralization will accelerate Tosoh’s R&D processes by raising efficiencies and synergies. The Polymer Materials Research Laboratory at the Nanyo Complex in Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture, will be relocated to and combined with the Polymer Materials Research Laboratory at the Yokkaichi Complex, and the Polyurethane Research Laboratory in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, will likewise be relocated to the Yokkaichi Complex.
The new facilities slated for construction at the Yokkaichi Complex will incur approximately ¥4.5 billion in capital spending. They include six floors of research laboratories occupying 7,000 square meters and two floors of process laboratories occupying 1,200 square meters. Construction is to begin in May 2017 and to finish in April 2019.
Tosoh’s medium-term business plan calls for accelerating the pace of research and development in three critical domains: life sciences, electronic materials, and environment and energy. As part of that initiative, the polymer and polyurethane R&D taking place at three locations will be centralized at the Yokkaichi Complex, making it the focal point for Tosoh’s petrochemical, including polyurethane and polymer, products R&D.
Tosoh’s R&D capabilities will be enhanced, with centralization improving R&D efficiencies and synergies and thereby speeding Tosoh’s ability to generate new products. The expanded, state-of-the-art R&D facilities, moreover, will incorporate laboratories where Tosoh can pursue heightened collaborative R&D with its customers.
R&D Organization following Centralization (from August 2019)
| R&D operations | Research areas |
| Specialty product R&D center | Strengthening of existing organic chemicals business and development of new organic functional products in the IT and electronics and environmental fields |
| Nanyo Complex (Shunan, Yamaguchi) | Organic Materials Research Laboratory |
| Inorganic Materials Research Laboratory | Strengthening of existing functional materials business and development of new inorganic functional products in the electronics, environmental and energy fields |
| Petrochemical and polymer product R&D center | Utilize molecular structure, functional design, and other technologies to develop new polymer materials for optical, electronic, biological, and other applications |
| Yokkaichi Complex (Yokkaichi, Mie) | Functional Polymers Research Laboratory |
| Polymer Materials Research Laboratory (Centralization of Nanyo and Yokkaichi Complex Polymer Materials Research Laboratories) | Strengthening of existing petrochemical and polymer businesses and developing basic polymer technologies such as catalysts, polymerization and property control and fabrication. |
| Polyurethane Research Laboratories (Moved from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, to within Yokkaichi Complex) | Strengthening of existing polyurethane business and creation of new functional polyurethane products through the development of polyurethane resin raw materials and systems |
| Polyurethane Research Laboratory (Yokohama, Kanagawa) | Scheduled for closure in August 2019 |
| Advanced technologies development center | Development of materials and technologies in the health and medical fields, including clinical diagnostic technologies and pharmaceutical separation and purification media |
| Tokyo Research Center (Ayase, Kanagawa) | Life Science Research Laboratory |
| Advanced Materials Research Laboratory | R&D of advanced materials associated with electronics and energy |
TOSOH CORPORATION
WHO WE ARE
Tosoh is the parent of the Tosoh Group, which comprises over 100 companies worldwide and a multiethnic workforce of over 12,000 people and generated net sales of ¥753.7 billion (US$6.3 billion at the average rate of ¥120.15 to the US dollar) in fiscal 2016, ended March 31, 2016.
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, polyethylene, and functional polymers, 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 monitoring of life-threatening diseases. In addition, Tosoh demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable future in part by manufacturing a variety of eco-products.
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DISCLAIMER
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