• Home
  • Industry
  • Innovation
  • Market
  • Materials
  • Products
  • Subscribe
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Japan Chemical Daily

Japan's leading chemical industry newspaper

Log In

Lost your password?
Forgotten Password
Cancel
  • Home
  • Industry
  • Products
  • Materials
  • Innovation
  • Market
  • Sustainability
  • Regulatory
  • About Us
    • President’s Message
    • The Chemical Daily
  • Subscribe
    • Q & A
    • Subscribe Now
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Subscribe to our E-Mail Newsletter
  • 日本語
    • 化学工業日報
    • 広告掲載について

Maruzen Petrochemical Managing Director Yutaka Kawabata Talks Development Plans

Apr. 30, 2019

Filed Under: R&D Special Feature Tagged With: Maruzen Petrochemical, methyl ethyl ketone, polymer, R&D, semiconductor materials, vinyl ether, Yutaka Kawabata

The Chemical Daily recently conducted a round of interviews with the heads of R&D divisions of major Japanese chemical companies. For this installment, we talked with Yutaka Kawabata, managing director of Maruzen Petrochemical Co. Ltd.

Kawabata said that as part of a medium-term management plan for fiscal 2018–2022, Maruzen Petrochemical is aiming for more than half of its ordinary profit to be coming from specialty and other such chemicals by 2022. To achieve this, he said, the company will need to expand its lineup of new products, placing high expectations on its R&D division.

Discussing efforts with regard to photoresist polymers used in etching circuits for semiconductors, Kawabata said that Maruzen Petrochemical is moving forward with product development that is able to deal with cutting-edge circuit line widths.

Maruzen Petrochemical is also engaged in technological development for a range of other semiconductor-related products and materials, Kawabata said. One of the examples he gave here was antireflective polymer film that is able to improve electronic circuit precision by being placed between a photoresist and circuit board. Then he also noted polymer for thick-film resist that aids in creating rewiring layers for semiconductor circuit boards, as well as polymer for insulative films to be placed between layers in multilayer wiring structures.

Kawabata then moved to talk about Maruzen Petrochemical’s vinyl ether products, which see use as raw material in highly weather-resistant fluororesin coatings and in concrete additives. The company’s products here, he said, are safe for living bodies and offer characteristic surfactant properties. Seeing significant potential for these capabilities to be put to use in the likes of the water treatment and environmental sectors, Maruzen Petrochemical is moving forward with development efforts for new products here, he said.

Commenting next on methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), which is used in ink solvents and other applications, Kawabata said that Maruzen Petrochemical is moving toward production reform. The company’s R&D division, he explained, is bolstering research efforts here that approach the topic from the perspective of reaction mechanisms.

If this work allows Maruzen Petrochemical to improve its yield over current levels, the company will be able to increase its production while keeping the same input of raw materials, Kawabata said. And should this rationalization process continue, he added, the company will be able to become more competitive as a direct result of its production reform here, such as by cutting down on costs.

Elsewhere, Kawabata said, Maruzen Petrochemical is looking into themes that would allow it to create further synergy on the R&D side of things with parent company Cosmo Energy Holdings Co. Ltd. (TYO:5021). All sorts of possibilities are being explored here, he revealed, including the effective use of currently unused fractions between oil refining and petrochemistry as well as plans to develop new products by combining the technologies of the two companies.

Related Articles:

Maruzen Petrochemical Ties Earnings to Chemicals and Performance Chemicals in New Five-Year PlanMaruzen Petrochemical Ties Earnings to Chemicals and…
Major Japanese Oil Distributors Ride Margin Growth to Increased Revenues, ProfitsMajor Japanese Oil Distributors Ride Margin Growth…
Tokuyama Executive Officer Fumiaki Iwasaki Provides Insight into R&D StrategyTokuyama Executive Officer Fumiaki Iwasaki Provides…
Maruzen Petrochemical to Upgrade Naphtha Cracking FurnacesMaruzen Petrochemical to Upgrade Naphtha Cracking Furnaces
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Representative Director Masamichi Mizukami Discusses Development EffortsMitsubishi Gas Chemical Representative Director…
Sumitomo Chemical Director Hiroshi Ueda Discusses R&D PlansSumitomo Chemical Director Hiroshi Ueda Discusses…
Previous Post: « Kaneka Executive Officer Naoki Furukawa Details Efforts in Four Key Segments
Next Post: JXTG Discusses Efforts Toward a Low-Carbon Society ( Interview conducted on January 17, with Jinichi Igarashi, former director and senior VP of JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corp) »

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Waseda, Eneos Develop Catalyst for Recycling CO2 to CO

Jan. 15, 2021

Interview: Sumitomo Chemical President Keiichi Iwata Talks Investments, Strategy

Jan. 15, 2021

Tokyo Tech Works on New Form of Photodynamic Cancer Treatment

Jan. 15, 2021

Asahi Kasei Takes Aim at Automotive Market for Environmentally Friendly Curing Agents

Jan. 14, 2021

Interview: Asahi Kasei President Hideki Kobori Talks Industry Trends, Strategy

Jan. 14, 2021

Most Popular

  • Mitsubishi Chemical to Boost Production of EVOH for Use in Food Packaging
  • Interview: Mitsubishi Chemical CEO Masayuki Waga Discusses Company Path Amid Increasingly Unclear External Factors
  • Coronavirus Report: Part 1 – Japanese Chemical Companies in China See Potential for Negative Impact on Business
  • Coronavirus Report: Part 4 – Japanese Chemical Firms Anxious Over Resuming Operations
  • Coronavirus Report: Part 3 – Companies Concerned Over Potential Effects on Southeast Asia

Tags

5G asahi kasei Automotive automotive materials batteries carbon fiber china coronavirus electric vehicles environment ethylene health care industry trends interview investments LiB M&A market conditions market prices medical METI Mitsubishi Chemical Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Mitsui Chemicals new materials petrochemical pharmaceutical polyethylene polypropylene production production increase R&D recycling Sekisui Chemical semiconductors Showa Denko strategy Sumitomo Chemical supply and demand Teijin thailand Toray tosoh U.S. ube industries

Footer

Log In


Lost your password?
Forgotten Password
Cancel

Links

Home
About
広告掲載について
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Legal Notice
Notation on the Specified Commercial Transaction Act
Contact us

© 2016–2021 The Chemical Daily Co. Ltd., Bonuterra Inc. All Rights Reserved.

japan-industry-news-network_logo

Copyright © 2021 · Chemical Daily v2 on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Free Read: R&D Special Feature

Close window

{"cookieName":"wBounce","isAggressive":false,"isSitewide":true,"hesitation":"","openAnimation":"fadeIn","exitAnimation":false,"timer":"","sensitivity":"","cookieExpire":"3","cookieDomain":"","autoFire":"","isAnalyticsEnabled":false}