Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (TYO:4183) is moving forward with plans to diversify the raw materials for ethylene produced at it plant in Takaishi, Osaka Prefecture. As part of the effort to provide propane as a petrochemical feedstock, Mitsui Chemicals is preparing plant and equipment, including berths for propane liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker ships and related...
Showa Denko
Showa Denko Develops Heat-Resistant Aluminum Compound for Power Semiconductor Substrates
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) has developed a heat-resistant aluminum compound to be used in substrate material for power semiconductors. Compared to conventional aluminum materials, the product is 40 percent more resistant to heat stress, which enables high performance and a longer life span for power semiconductors. Expecting growth in demand for automotive circuit boards, the...
Showa Denko to Provide Hydrogen Fuel Derived From Waste Plastic
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) announced on August 1 that it will provide low-carbon hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Tomoe Shokai Co. Ltd., a major supplier of industrial gas, began providing the fuel in July at the newly established Shinsuna Hydrogen Station it operates in Koto-ku Ward, Tokyo. It is the first fuel station...
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...
Showa Denko Works on Expanding High-Purity Gas Operations in US, China
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) will be expanding its logistics and distribution hubs for the company’s business in high-purity gases, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors and flat panel displays. Branching into the U.S. and China, two major regions for consumption, Showa Denko will work toward local production for local consumption to thereby strengthen...
Chemical, Materials Firms Set to Exceed 1 Trillion Yen in Capital Investments for 2017
Investments in plant and equipment by major chemical and materials companies during fiscal 2017 are set to total 1.18 trillion yen ($10.62 billion), increasing 20 percent over the previous year’s total, which was less than 1 trillion yen. The wide margin of increase comes on top of levels of investment that were already high, owing...
Japan’s Petrochemical Industry Sees Revitalization With Ethylene Facility Upgrades
A noticeable trend is taking place in Japan with a spurt in capital investment to upgrade petrochemical facilities. Asahi Kasei Mitsubishi Chemical Ethylene Corp. will revamp its facilities at the Mizushima Plant this year to increase ethylene production. Tosoh Corp. (TYO:4042), meanwhile, has begun looking into boosting the efficiency of the company’s ethylene plant in...
Digest: Chemical Price Hike Announcements for Week of March 13
A series of price hikes were announced by chemical companies during the week of March 13 – March 17. Unless noted otherwise, all price increases listed here are per kilogram. In chloroprene rubber (CR), Denka Co. Ltd. (TYO:4061) raised prices by no less than 40 yen ($0.35) on March 21. In polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Denka...
Showa Denko Gas Products to Build Liquid CO2 Facilities at Kawasaki Plant
Showa Denko Gas Products Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004), will be adding a line of compressive liquefaction facilities at its factory in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, for further liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) production. The facilities are scheduled to begin operating in July of this year and will increase the plant’s...
Digest: Chemical Price Hike Announcements for Week of Feb. 27
A series of price hikes were announced by chemical companies during the week of Feb. 27 – March 3. Unless noted otherwise, all price increases listed here are per kilogram. In acetic acid and vinyl acetate, Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) will raise prices for acetic acid by 12 yen and for vinyl acetate by 15...
Showa Denko to Commence Prototype Production of Next-Generation HDD
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) will commence production of media prototypes using heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), which is a new, next-generation technology for large-capacity storage in the hard disk (HD) business. Showa Denko is targeting demand for the expected growth of high-fidelity hard disk drives (HDD) at data centers. Showa Denko is also launching media, including...
Digest: Chemical Price Hike Announcements for Week of Feb. 13
A series of price hikes were announced by chemical companies during the week of Feb. 13 – Feb. 17. Unless noted otherwise, all price increases listed here are per kilogram. In chloroprene rubber, Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) will raise prices by no less than 42 yen ($0.37) on March 1. In biaxially oriented polystyrene sheets,...
Digest: Chemical Price Hike Announcements for Week of Jan. 30 – Part 1
A series of price hikes were announced by chemical companies during the week of Jan. 30 – Feb. 3. As with the second installment in this two-part special, unless noted otherwise, all price increases listed here are per kilogram. In caustic soda, Nippon Light Metal Co., Ltd. (TYO:5701) will raise the price of solid conversion...
Showa Denko Works to Develop Aluminum Heat Dissipation Material for Power Semiconductors
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) is developing an aluminum alloy heat dissipation material essential to the miniaturized, high-output designs for power semiconductors used in hybrid and electric vehicles. Since next-generation silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors operate in high-temperature environments, Showa Denko is working to develop an aluminum alloy with about twice the thermal conductivity of currently available...
Chemical Industry Leader Outlooks for 2017 – Part 1: The Global Economy
Japan Chemical Daily recently had the opportunity to hear from chemical company executives regarding their outlooks for 2017. 2016 was a historical turning point, said Masakazu Tokura, president of Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005). For him, the common thread between the various developments of this year was that they were rooted in disparity. They would...
Development Intensifies for Heat-Dissipation Applications of Boron Nitride
Boron nitride is expected to see growing demand. With its excellent thermal conductivity, it is primed for greater use as a filler in heat-dissipation components used in high-performance semiconductors, which need to release heat efficiently. Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and Tokuyama Corp. have recently entered the Japanese market for boron nitride, joining manufacturers Denka Co. Ltd....
Showa Denko Acquires Chinese Coating Company
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) announced on Nov. 21 the acquisition of GMM Group, a Chinese company based in Hong Kong that deals in non-stick coatings used to protect household appliances and other products from burns and stains. The amount paid for the acquisition has not been made public. Showa Denko acquired all GMM shares on...
Incoming Showa Denko President Places Emphasis on Stakeholder Satisfaction
In an interview with The Chemical Daily, Kohei Morikawa, chief technology officer (CTO) at Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) and the company’s next president, explained that he wants the firm to satisfy all stakeholders, including shareholders, business partners, customers, employees and the general public. Morikawa will be Showa Denko’s first president in 20 years to come...
Showa Denko to Consolidate Aluminum Auto Parts Manufacturing in Malaysia
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) announced on Nov. 9 that it is consolidating its ASEAN aluminum casting and forging operations into the company’s Malaysian base. Forging facilities are to be relocated from Singapore to establish a complete forging-to-casting operation in Malaysia sometime during 2017. The changes will be carried out with an investment of approximately 1...
Showa Denko Names New President and CEO
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) announced on Oct. 25 that Director, Managing Corporate Officer and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Kohei Morikawa has been named the company’s new president and CEO. The move will be made effective from Jan. 1, 2017, at which time Hideo Ichikawa, who currently holds the position, will assume the post of Representative...
