IDEC YOKOHAMASOCOMORE Japan
Providing French Surface Treatment, Coating, andAdhesion Technologies Expanding Industry Demandthrough Collaboration with Local Companies
SOCOMORE Japan is the Japanese subsidiary of SOCOMORE, a company headquartered in Vannes,France. It imports and sells chemical products such as surface treatments for aircraft, special coatings thatmeet US MIL specifications, and paint remover for bridges. SOCOMORE Japan expanded into Yokohama
City in August 2018, and has been selling paint remover purchased overseas for use on bridges and aircraft
in Japan. Making use of IDEC Yokohama’s program for supporting the business establishment by overseas
companies, in September 2023 SOCOMORE Japan concluded an agreement with a local company that will
provide contract manufacturing.

Speaker: Nakaba Kobayashi, President■ From Bridges to Aircraft, and Industrial Applications
Coatings applied to aircraft bodies are usually recoated every six toseven years. Coatings can be damaged by the effects of UV rays andother factors, and excessive buildup of grime on the surface can increase
friction resistance, which degrades fuel efficiency. SOCOMORE Japan
manufactures and sells paint removers that remove the old coatings via
chemical treatment before repainting the aircraft.
In another application, many of the bridges in Japan where built in
the 1970s and 1980s, and use coatings from that period, which include
lead-based antirust primers and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-based
coatings. When these coatings were recognized as being problematic
about 10 years ago, SOCOMORE improved its paint removers
for aircraft use, and began to supply them as products for bridge
maintenance.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, soaring global raw materials prices
and transportation costs have made reducing logistics costs and CO2emissions a challenge. To meet these challenges, in November 2022,
SOCOMORE Japan began looking at securing a manufacturing base inJapan.

■ Business Matching with a Chemical Manufacturer
inside Yokohama city
I was looking for a contract manufacturer in Japan for products suchas surface treatment chemicals (paint removers) for bridges and aircraft.
The Company is located in Shin-Yokohama, and we decided to utilize
IDEC Yokohama’s Manufacturing Coordination Program for business

SOCOMORE Japan’s cleaning products

matching between companies. With support from a coordinator,
including introductions to companies in Yokohama, we conducted
several interviews that resulted in a partnership with Yokohama Oils& Fats Industry Co., Ltd., which will provide contract manufacturingof paint remover in Japan. After several prototypes of paint removerand other products, we concluded an agreement for paint remover
manufacture in September. We have also partnered with local Japanesecompanies for sales.
There were several candidates for contract manufacturing providers,
including out-of-prefecture companies. However, we found thatYokohama Oils & Fats Industry has the technological capability to
manufacture paint remover that meets our requirements. Moreover,since it is also located in Yokohama City, it is convenient to visit,enabling close communication.

■ Attractive Proposals for Improvement fromJapanese Manufacturers
I have personally worked in a telecommunications equipment
manufacturer in Japan before working at a European chemical
manufacturer for 15 years, and I have been involved in collaboration
with companies in Japan, including on the need for quality managementof chemicals. In this collaboration with Yokohama Oils & Fats
Industry, I noticed their thorough approach to quality management
and their attitude of trying to make improvements themselves. It wasvery attractive to receive their proactive proposals for revision to themanufacturing process and so forth. Another characteristic that I think istypical of Japanese manufacturers is their strong commitment to keepingIDEC YOKOHAMA
delivery deadlines.
Shin-Yokohama is a great location. Nagoya is only 1.5 hours awayon the shinkansen, while access to Haneda Airport is also excellent. Inaddition, the station area is not as crowded as Tokyo Station, making itvery convenient for transport. Yokohama was originally one of the areas
opened to foreign companies, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic I
was a frequent participant in business networking events.

In terms of developing our business in Japan, we are expecting to see
demand expand for aircraft and industrial applications. Now that wehave secured a collaborating factory and set up a production system inJapan, our next task is to develop the next generation of management
personnel.
（Interview date: October 2023）＜Company’s Profile>

Location：Shin Yokohama West Building 7F, 2-3-3, Shin Yokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, JapanSOCOMORE JapanCo., Ltd.

Representative：Nakaba Kobayashi

Establishment：February 2002

Business Outline：Import and sale of surface treatment chemicals (paint removers) and special coatings for aircraft