December 1, 2020
NAGASE & CO., LTD.
Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.
Sanyo Chemical Decides to Introduce SaaS-based TABRASA
New Material Search Platform
NAGASE & CO., LTD. (NAGASE ; Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: KenjiAsakura) and Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd. (Sanyo Chemical; Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto,President & CEO: Takao Ando) have agreed that NAGASE will begin providing Sanyo Chemicalwith the SaaS-based TABRASA New Material Search Platform that NAGASE developed jointlywith IBM.
NAGASE has commercialized IBM technology as a SaaS service for materials informatics (MI),which it launched in November 2020, and Sanyo Chemical will be the first user to introduce theplatform.
The strengths of TABRASA lie in its ability to search for materials with two different engines: ananalytics approach that harnesses AI machine learning to suggest chemical structures for newmaterials from substances’ molecular structure and physical property data, and a cognitive
approach driven by cognitive discovery technology possessed by IBM Research (※1). Either of
the two engines can be introduced, and Sanyo Chemical will introduce the cognitive approach.
Sanyo Chemical has strengths in surface control technologies and a line-up of functional chemical
products utilized in a wide range of fields. It combines needs-oriented and seeds-oriented R&D
to pursue a “NeeSeeds-Oriented” approach to swift development of multi-faceted products fordiverse customers, and is currently focusing on fields including energy, electronics, biomedical,and cosmetics. International competition to develop new products is becoming fiercer against a
backdrop of globalization of economic activity, technological advances associated with
development of digital technologies in fields such as artificial intelligence and 5G
telecommunications, and shorter product cycles. By introducing this service, Sanyo Chemicalaims to enhance inter-divisional use of technical information possessed by its research divisions
as well as data-driven R&D through MI, and to efficiently develop products.
As a trading company, NAGASE has broad customer networks. Through its new business modelof identifying issues yet to be noticed by its business partners and providing value contributing
to solutions by means such as provision of the TABRASA service, it aims to create a society fullof warmth, where people can live in safety, security, and comfort.

(※1) About TABRASA Corporate Profile: Sanyo Chemical(1) Company name Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.
(2) Headquarters

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto(3) Representative

Takao Ando, President & CEO(4) Established

November 1949

(5) Main business

Manufacture and sale of approximately 3,000 performance chemicals(functional chemical products)(6) Website

https://www.sanyo-chemical.co.jp/eng/ Corporate Profile: NAGASE(1) Company name NAGASE & CO., LTD.
(2) Headquarters

Chuo-ku, Tokyo(3) RepresentativeKenji Asakura, Representative Director & President(4) Established

June 1832(5) Main business

Import/export and domestic sales of chemicals, plastics, electronics
materials, cosmetics and health foods(6) Website

https://www.nagase.co.jp/english/

■ Inquires
NAGASE & CO., LTD.
Corporate Administration Office, Corporate Planning Department
Tel: +81-3-3665-3640
Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.
Media and Investor Relations Department, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +75-541-4312