Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TYO:4188) plans to step up its use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge information and communication technology (ICT). Soon the chemical manufacturer will start up five or six flagship projects. These projects involve focus areas such as carbon fiber and the company’s Mizushima Plant, a petrochemical facility in Okayama Prefecture....
Industry
Diplomatic Rift Between Arab Powers Could Destabilize Helium Supply From Qatar
Industry insiders are worried about the supply stability of helium gas out of Qatar. Export routes have been disrupted by diplomatic issues between Qatar and four Middle Eastern nations, including Saudia Arabia and the UAE. Qatar is the world’s second largest exporter of helium after the U.S., holding 40 percent of the global market share....
Ube Industries to Boost PCD Production in Thailand, Spain
Ube Industries Ltd. (TYO:4208) is gearing up to expand its Thai and Spanish production of polycarbonate diol (PCD), a raw material for polyurethane. With plans to bring in new technologies to increase productivity without increasing facilities, Ube Industries is seeking to increase its total capacity by roughly 30 percent, from 11,000 tons per annum at...
Mitsubishi Chemical to Enter Animal Feed Market With Lactic Acid Bacteria Product
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. will make a full-scale entry into the animal feed industry, with the company planning to market Lacris – a lactic acid bacteria product – as an animal feed additive for chickens and other livestock. The company made the decision to expand into this market based on studies showing that lactic acid bacteria...
Chemical Industry at the Forefront of Digital Push
The chemical industry is at the forefront of a push to digitize business operations for the sake of greater productivity. In 2015, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) touted materials informatics (MI) as a way to incorporate information science into materials design. Since then, four general chemical companies and others have come together...
Denka to Boost Acetylene Black Production in Singapore by 50%
Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) plans to ramp up production of high-purity acetylene black used in power cables by 50 percent in Singapore. The decision is in response to growing demand for high-voltage and extra-high-voltage power cables in Europe, which is aggressively introducing renewable energy such as offshore wind power, and in China, a country actively...
FPSO Market Set for Swift Recovery Amid Tight Crude Concerns
The market for floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) systems seems set for a swift recovery this year. Projects in Brazil and other locations worldwide are expected to start taking shape, with tendering for several already under way. The FPSO segment has been stagnant for the last two years due to the slump in crude...
Mitsui Enters Vegetable Seed Business With Acquisition of Israeli Firm
Mitsui & Co. Ltd. has entered the seed business through the acquisition of Israeli vegetable seed company Top Seeds Ltd., since renamed Top Seeds International Ltd. The move is a starting point for Mitsui to round up other small and medium-sized Japanese seed makers with advanced technology while forming partnerships. Mitsui plans to assemble other...
Kaneka to Acquire Applied Poleramic for Full-Scale Entry Into Aerospace
Kaneka Corp. (TYO:4118) recently announced that it will acquire California-based Applied Poleramic Inc., a manufacturer and vendor of compounded resin used in aerospace components and carbon fiber composites. Kaneka will purchase 100 percent of Applied Poleramic’s shares, making it a consolidated subsidiary for an approximate amount of 1.5 billion yen ($13.46 million). In order to...
Asia Could See Large Influx of US Shale-Derived Ethylene
U.S. shale-derived ethylene is expected to increase in the Asian market, with a number of companies planning the construction of ethylene export terminals. For such projects, 10,000-ton class tanks require billions of yen (1 billion yen = $87.87 million) in investment, making the plans appear to be targeted at recruiting long-term customers primarily from Asian...
Japan Polyethylene Fights Influx of US PE With Special LLDPE
Japan Polyethylene Corp., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. (TYO:4188), will commence full-scale mass production of new low-density polyethylene products sometime in 2017. As the competition in generic products seems likely to intensify due to U.S. shale-derived products coming into Asia, Japan Polyethylene is speeding up a shift focused on high-performance chemicals. These new...
Key to the Car of Tomorrow: V2X – Part 2
When it comes to the connected car and other next-generation automobiles, attention has mostly focused on fuel and driving innovations. Yet improving comfort is also an important factor. New technologies are coming in light of a variety of objectives, such as drivability and ride quality. In addition to air conditioning and lighting, there is growing...
Key to the Car of Tomorrow: V2X – Part 1
The situation surrounding advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the connected car, autonomous driving and automobiles has been changing at a rapid pace. These changes concern not just in-vehicle electronics but also infrastructural aspects such as communications and electricity supply. As such, many companies are beginning to draft growth strategies that account for these changes in...
Yaguchi Denshi Kogyo Captures Attention With “Invisible TV”
An “invisible TV” is garnering attention in the signage and medical industries. By simply delaminating polarizing film from multiple layers of optical film, the device becomes invisible to the naked eye. When a person puts on special glasses with a polarizing film, however, the television then becomes viewable. The original purpose was to create surprising...
Morita Chemical Industries to Further Boost Production of LiB Electrolyte in China
Morita Chemical Industries Co. Ltd. will boost production of lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) at its base in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province, China. LiPF6 is used as an electrolyte in lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs). The company plans to raise annual production capacity by 50 percent to reach 7,500 tons by 2018. It has already filed applications with the...
Key to the Car of Tomorrow: In-Vehicle Displays – Part 2
With the field of automotive displays showing continued growth, material and component manufacturers join display manufacturers in their hope for the future of this market, which has different requirements than that of displays for smartphones and other consumer devices. In addition to high durability and long lifespan, there is the need for high image quality...
Key to the Car of Tomorrow: In-Vehicle Displays – Part 1
The automotive display market continues to grow. Increasing at a rate of 10 percent per year, the market is said to reach the 1 trillion yen ($90.21 billion) mark in 2020. Not limited just to car navigation systems, vehicle meters and standard switches are being replaced by center information displays. This presents increasing business opportunities...
JSR Will Buy Swiss Selexis to Expand Biopharma Business
JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) has announced plans to acquire Selexis SA, a company with specialized cell line generation technology. The Swiss firm undertakes contract development of cell lines needed to manufacture biopharmaceuticals. Its technology facilitates the swift generation of cell lines able to efficiently and stably cultivate virtually any recombinant protein. JSR owns a biopharmaceutical contract...
Tosoh Considers Expanding Chloroprene Rubber Supply
Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042) has begun looking into the possibility of boosting its chloroprene rubber (CR) capacities. Amid a tightening global demand–supply balance for the material, the company’s production continues to run at full capacity. Unable to answer all business inquiries, Tosoh has postponed shipments in part, primarily in relation to those for export. As a...
China Eager to Move Toward OLED as LCD Replacement
China is the world’s largest producer of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) but is now actively investing in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as a means to replace LCD technology. OLED production lines with Japanese manufacturing equipment have been established in the country, as China hopes to improve yield, productivity and quality to make a full-scale entry...
