Research efforts are accelerating in vegetable cultivation through the use of plant factories, as well as in the marketing of these vegetables. As an authority in photochemistry and photocatalysis, Masakazu Anpo has a background that includes serving as director at Osaka Prefecture University’s R&D Center for the Plant Factory, where he led the launch of...
Interviews
Kaneka President Discusses New Company Structure, Growth Investment – Part 2
Pursuing increases in both scale and profit, Kaneka Corp. (TYO:4118) is targeting sales of 1 trillion yen ($9.098 billion) for fiscal 2020. The chemical manufacturer’s ambition comes on the back of a major restructuring this past April. President Mamoru Kadokura sat down recently with The Chemical Daily to talk about how he sees this tying...
Kaneka President Discusses New Company Structure, Growth Investment – Part 1
Kaneka Corp. (TYO:4118) is pursuing increases in both scale and profit, targeting sales of 1 trillion yen ($9.098 billion) for fiscal 2020. The chemical manufacturer plans to use growth investments of up to 300 billion yen, and also search out large M&A opportunities. With his company having taken the bold course of action to undergo...
Larry Meixner Talks New Role, Aspirations With Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings – Part 2
Having struggled to create new business in recent times, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings (TYO:4188) targeted Larry Meixner to become a managing corporate executive officer and head the company’s new Emerging Technology and Business Development Office. A native of California and familiar with the inner workings of Silicon Valley, Meixner is serving in the dual capacity of...
Larry Meixner Talks New Role, Aspirations With Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings – Part 1
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings (TYO:4188), having struggled to create new business in recent times, established its new Emerging Technology and Business Development Office this past April. To run this new operation, the company targeted Larry Meixner, a California native who is familiar with the inner workings of Silicon Valley. Serving in the dual capacity of chief...
New Chiyoda CEO Talks Industry, Path Ahead
Appointed this past June as Chiyoda Corp.’s (TYO:6366) new CEO, Masaji Santo brings to the company a wealth of experience on the global front. He recently sat down with The Chemical Daily to talk about what his vision is for the company moving forward, and how to stay ahead of the pack. In discussing how...
New Denka President Discusses Specialty Businesses, ICT-Driven Process Reforms
Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) this past June revealed the fundamental concepts behind Denka Value-Up, its next five-year business plan. The Chemical Daily recently had the chance to sit down with Denka’s new president, Manabu Yamamoto, to talk about the next stage in his firm’s growth. Denka aims to become an aggregate of specialty businesses equipped...
President of Evonik Southeast Asia Talks Regional Growth, Prospects Moving Forward
Evonik Industries AG will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this September. A leading performance chemicals company, it operates nine plants across the Asia-Pacific region. Evonik Industries is now turning its focus to improving its management quality, including a move last year to establish a Malaysian subsidiary for managing group companies within the region. The Chemical...
Mitsui Chemicals R&D Head Shin Fukuda Talks Innovation and Venture Business
The Chemical Daily recently had the opportunity to interview Shin Fukuda, a managing executive officer at Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) and head of the company’s R&D headquarters as of April this year. After studying atomic engineering at Hokkaido University, Fukuda started his career at Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s (TYO:7201) aerospace division, but due to restructuring...
Showa Denko’s Morikawa Discusses Company’s Future
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004), also known as SDK, posted an operating income of 19.7 billion yen ($175 million) for the first quarter of calendar 2017. This marks a seven-fold increase over the same period last year, and a record-high figure for the first quarter. Will business keep thriving in the second half of 2017 and...
Jinko Solar VP Dany Qian Discusses Recent Market Success and Strategy Ahead
Chinese-based Jinko Solar continues to move forward at a furious pace in the photovoltaics (PV) market. A leading company in the sector, Jinko Solar for January–March surpassed 2 gigawatts in PV module shipments – the first time in the industry that this has been achieved in a single quarter. Vice President Dany Qian recently sat...
New Mitsubishi Chemical CDO Iwano Discusses Digitalization in the Chemical Industry
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TYO:4188) is gearing up to making full use of artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in new projects. Leading the way on this is Kazuo Iwano, who joined the company this April as chief digital officer (CDO) after having previously worked with IBM Corp., Mitsubishi Corp. (TYO:8058) and...
Konica Minolta Pioneer OLED’s Nakane Talks China Business
Last month saw Konica Minolta Inc. (TYO:4902) and Pioneer Corp. (TYO:6773) integrate their organic light emitting diode (OLED) lighting businesses, giving birth to Konica Minolta Pioneer OLED Inc. With the main target for the new JV being in-vehicle lighting, the company is working toward mass production and is hopeful of its prospects for business with...
Mitsui Chemicals Robot Materials Chief Ishimaru Discusses Promising Developments
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) set up its Robot Materials Business Development Division in April last year. The firm plans to explore the possibilities for new business as the number of robots that interact with people grows. Specifically, Mitsui Chemicals aims to increase opportunities to offer materials and solutions that help to enhance robot functions and...
Heraeus CEO Rinnert Talks Roads Traveled, Future Opportunities
One of the most successful family businesses in Germany, Heraeus Holding GmbH has managed to put together a history of innovative technology since its foundation over 350 years ago. But what is important lies beyond the company’s history to date, says CEO Jan Rinnert, who sat down recently with Masato Takanashi, senior editor, international of...
Nitto Denko President Talks New Business Strategies for Next 100 Years
In October 2018, Nitto Denko Corp. (TYO:6988) will celebrate the centenary of its founding. The company plans to create new businesses that will see it through the next 100 years. Last autumn, it granted Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. an exclusive license to a nucleic acid drug therapy for treating advanced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and liver cirrhosis. With...
Toray Executive Yasuo Suga Discusses Future of Carbon Fiber Industry – Part 2
By Yusuke Sekiguchi, Editor Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) maintains the largest market share in the world for both regular-tow (RT) and large-tow (LT) carbon fiber. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is seeing increased demand in the automotive industry, despite a market slowdown last year, as the material’s ability to reduce vehicle weight enables better fuel...
Toray Executive Yasuo Suga Discusses Present and Future of Carbon Fiber Industry – Part 1
By Yusuke Sekiguchi, Editor Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) holds the world’s largest market share in both regular-tow (RT) and large-tow (LT) carbon fiber. Despite a market slowdown last year, demand for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has increased in the automotive industry, as the material’s ability to reduce vehicle weight enables better fuel efficiency and...
DSM’s Dimitri de Vreeze Discusses Shift Toward Sustainable Technologies – Part 2
Koninklijke DSM NV, commonly referred to as DSM, has achieved continued growth as a company thanks to the reorganization of its business operations. The Chemical Daily’s Masato Takanashi, senior editor and head of the international division, recently sat down with a member of Managing Board Dimitri de Vreeze to learn about the company’s current and...
DSM’s Dimitri de Vreeze Discusses Shift Toward Sustainable Technologies – Part 1
Koninklijke DSM NV, commonly known as DSM, has shown continued growth through business reorganization. The Chemical Daily’s Masato Takanashi, senior editor and head of the international division, recently sat down with Dimitri de Vreeze, a members of the Managing Board, to hear about the company’s current and future strategies. DSM first started as a coal...
