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Under five business lines – Commodity Chemicals, Polymers & Oligomers, Adhesive Materials, Performance Chemicals andPlastics – the Toagosei Group has been recognized the world over for its technological strengths and value-added products.
Founded in 1944, Toagosei is known
for its production of instant adhesives for B2C applications worldwide. A company that has prided
itself on its ability to move with thetimes, it has traditionally focusedon three distinct pillars: manufacturing basic chemical products untilthe 1960s; petrochemicals after
the 1960s; and functional products
to the present day.
Company president Mikishi
Takamura is on hand to outline
some of the group’s distinctive
products. “Toagosei manufactureshigh-purity liquid hydrogen chloride, which is used in the production of semiconductor chips,”
he explains, highlighting that theperformance chemical is currently
exported not only to Japan, but also
to Asia and the U.S.A..

Chemicals used in semiconductor
production processes
The firm’s SQ series, meanwhile,
is a coating material with enhanced
resistance to radiation and ultraviolet rays, which helps to extend theservice life of equipment, a notable
example being the hinomaru, or red
circle, on Japanese spacecraft.
With the global focus on the U.N.’s
Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), Toagosei has once again
shown its willingness to adapt, andis currently working on a fourth pillar of products – (mobility-related,energy-related and healthcare-related products – that will enhance thecompany’s environmental credibility.
Take the electric vehicle (EV)industry, for example. Toagosei
products used in EV batteries help
optimize not just the quality andMikishi Takamura, President, Toagoei Co., Ltd.

Toagosei Hydrogen Station Tokushima
the company’s instant adhesives
help improve work efficiency andreduce product weight, while emphasizing that they are also used ina variety of other industrial sectors
because of their energy efficiency.
Away from the automotive sector,
the blending of innovative new materials such as cellulose nanofibers©JAXA/NASA SQ Series(CNFs) into plastic-based products
function of the battery but also means that manufacturers will soon
minimize its environmental impact. be able to use less plastic in producBut what of carbon neutrality tion. CNF may be in the early stages
more generally, and the steps the of development, but Mr. Takamuragroup is taking to make its processes is adamant that they represent themore environmentally-friendly?
future. Not only do the company’sAccording to Mr. Takamura, the CNF production methods use far lesskey word here is ‘process’. Toagosei energy than competitors, crucially,
is not looking to directly support as matters stand, Toagosei remains
the production of, say, solar panels, the only firm which currently holds
but to enable clients to develop a patent for the process.
more efficient methods of proIn addition to its CNF producduction. “What we are thinking tion, the firm has recently openedabout,” he says, “is leveraging our a hydrogen station, which is distrengths in chemical products to rectly connected to the produchelp users reduce CO2 emissions tion and supply of hydrogen atin their manufacturing.”a site adjacent to its Tokushima
Referring to the automotive in- Plant, where hydrogen is produstry, Mr. Takamura explains how duced. One of the company’sJapan

China

stated aims is to work towards
realizing a hydrogen society.
Looking to the mid-term, a recent project with Toyota showsthat collaboration is a key part ofbusiness for Toagosei.
“We are looking for new partners and opportunities abroad,” Mr.
Takamura confirms, adding that thegroup prefers to partner with companies using cutting-edge materials
such as batteries, semiconductors,
and telecommunications equipment
to manufacture their products. Cocreation partners, in other words,
who know the needs of the market
and can directly manufacture theproducts it demands.

Cellulose nanofiber (CNF)
When pressed on his legacy,Mr. Takamura highlights the importance of expansion. Toagosei
is already a highly profitable company, but only by expanding thescale of its business can it secure
its market position given the prevailing economic climate.
In this regard, the company’s‘fourth pillar’ of products takes
on a new significance. A key focus in the coming years will be
the healthcare industry, and thegroup has already developed Cell
Penetrating Peptide (CPP) as adrug delivery system (DDS) thatprovides drugs to specific parts ofthe body such as the brain.
But as long as the group continues to expand its field with“new specialty chemical lines
and chemical products with highadded value, quality functions andcharacteristics”, growth, it would
appear, seems assured.

America

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Aron Alpha has the No. 1 market
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www.toagosei.co.jp/english