, Inc Our 20th-Year Challenges

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Talk of the future of Mitsui Chemicals INTERVIEW Challenge towards the Future with Customer-Driven Innovations

※This booklet was planned and edited by NikkeiBP Advertising Dept Management Media Division. Talk of the future of Mitsui Chemicals

Mitsui Chemicals’ Target Position

(Operating income: 100 million yen) Mobility Health Care Food & Packaging New / Next Generation Business Basic Materials

14% 2025 Basic Strategies Proportion of target (1) Pursue innovations business domains 86% 300 12% (2) Accelerate global expansion (3) Strengthen competitiveness of existing businesses 700 Proportion of target 250 FY25 business domains 10% 2,000 65% FY16 To a new stage 400 450 8% 1,021 -Customer-Driven Innovations-

ROS (%) (Corporate wide costs and others: -100)

6% (Corporate wide costs and others: -78) Proportion of target FY06 business domains 917 Challenge towards the Future 4% 34% Reform business portfolio FY13 2% 249 Changes in value through paradigm shift

with Customer-Driven 0% 10,000 12,000 15,000 20,000 Sales (100 million yen) Innovations Target operating income in FY2025 is 200 billion yen. We are entering a stage quite different from the present.

President & CEO Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

Tsutomu Tannowa and pride.” company with a good spirit, sometimes further growth investment in the next President Tsutomu Tannowa says Mitsui my messages may be taken too much se- step. There is a target for 1 trillion yen of Chemicals frmly maintains the Corporate riously. They should take their way of growth investment in the 10-year period. Vision. Meanwhile, the company will thinking like ‘We have to take this way!’ or We believe that there are ‘3 issues’ to change the management system fexibly. ‘I want to do this!’” aim for a new stage with an operating in- He thinks that the result is important, the Mitsui Chemicals newly made 2025 come of 200 billion yen in FY2025. Mitsui Chemicals achieved an operating income of 102 billion yen in FY2016 after undergoing to globally stagnant demand after the employees would be motivated by perfor- LTBP, there will be 1 trillion yen of growth First is the growth and expansion of the major restructuring. The 2025 Long-Term Business Plan “2025 LTBP” is newly established, and global financial crisis in 2008 and prob- mance recovered. investments over 10 years in order to three targeted business domains. In the we aim for unknown areas with an operating income of 200 billion yen. The keywords to achieve lems of oversupply in China. achieve an operating income of 200 billion Mobility, Healthcare and Food & Packag- Operation income of this are “Creating New Customer Value through Innovations”. It is necessary to switch to a con- The mission of the 2014 MTBP secured yen. ing businesses, we will expand business- 200 billion yen in FY2025 cept of customer-oriented market-in type from the one of a conventional product-out type. business portfolio changes and financial “In aiming for an operating income of es such as peripheral businesses, invest- health. With the business portfolio chang- “As a result, there is also a sense of ac- 200 billion yen, we are fully aware that we ment projects, and secure facility es in particular, we focused on expanding complishment by performance, and then, are going to enter a new world where is capacity to meet demand. Second, we Under the 3 year Mid-Term Business “Our performance has recovered, and the three targeted business domains and all the employee is probably regaining quite different than what it used to be. In will foster the next generation of new Plan “MTBP” started in FY2014 (2014 we have also started our 2025 LTBP. restructured the Basic Materials business. confdence. order to improve the fnancial structure in businesses and accelerate the creation MTBP), Mitsui Chemicals achieved a re- However, the path up to this point was On the other hand, challenging to ‘Re- Since I have recently talked about ‘Inde- the 2014 MTBP, we expect to see moder- of new products. Third is that we intend cord-high operating income of 102 billion very difficult. We have been pursuing store Our Confdence and Pride of Mitsui pendence, Self-support and Self-motiva- ate profit growth in a couple of years to further strengthen our competitiveness yen in FY2016. 2017 marked the 20th an- painful restructuring bulk & commodity Chemicals’ in the 2014 MTBP, I have con- tion’ and they are starting to have that since we have restrained investment quite in the Basic Materials business.” niversary of the establishment of Mitsui product businesses such as Phenol be- tinued to convey this message in order for feeling. a bit. We will steadily accumulate strength What kind of stance is needed in order Chemicals. cause market conditions deteriorated due our employees to regain the confidence Hence, Mitsui Chemicals is a serious during this period, and must head towards to expand the targeted business domains? Talk of the future of Mitsui Chemicals

the mantra of “Creating New Customer ther these solutions. We have also devel- Customer-Driven Innovations Value through Innovations”, espoused in oped the metal & resin integration tech- the 2025 LTBP, Tannowa convinced. nology ‘POLYMETAC™’, which expected “We believe that it is important to Create “Our proposal quality have been gradu- to adopt in automobiles in the future. New Customer Value through Innovations ally improved, and the approach of R&D Moreover, Mitsui Chemicals has also and to resolve social issues through busi- has changed a lot. successfully developed the world’s first ness activities. So that we put high priority There is an example case of ‘sound solu- high-performance nonwoven, AIRYFA™, on a concept of ‘Customer-Driven Innova- tion’ in which our researchers heard cus- that realizes both softness and strength.” tions’. tomers’ needs. One restaurant chain had Increasing opportunities for contact with We tend to consider making excellent a problem with a noisy dishwasher, and customers and determining their needs products leads to wining in competition. we solved this applying sound analysis will also arise collaboration with other Of course, we must have the ability to cre- and exploiting characteristics of materials. companies. ate superior technology and products. Since sound requires a complex solution, We would like to be the first From now on it is necessary to combine I feel that our way of thinking has become company to be consulted. accumulated technologies in our company quite more flexible fitting to customer’s Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. and, in some cases to propose high val- needs. “In September this year, our company ue-added products and/or solutions to We are also developing a rapid in-vitro and Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd., a ven- customers.” diagnostic kit for the identifcation of bac- ture company from University Our 20th-Year Challenges We will keep our eyes open for custom- teria to quickly identify causative bacteria (Suita City, Osaka Prefecture) agreed to ers, catch their needs and trouble quickly of sepsis, and the need for this test kit is form a strategic partnership. We are pro- and make proposals with high added val- very high. In addition, reducing food loss moting the joint development of micro- ue. Then, social issues can be solved and waste is also a big challenge in the wave-based next-generation chemical through business activities that align with world, and we are developing flms to fur- process technologies. By promoting open innovation, we are Meeting the Challenge accelerating the creation of new products and new businesses.” to Create New Customer Value through Innovations Mitsui Chemicals has various human re- sources and technologies. Once Mitsui "Seven Persons at Mitsui Chemicals" Chemicals practices Customer-Driven In- novations by combining these resources, With four straight years of increased profts and its frst re- innovative changes must certainly take cord profits in 10 years, several years of restructuring are place at the company. yielding results at Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. In 2017, the company “Whenever customers acknowledge va- is making a fresh start as it marks the 20th year since its riety of our products and wide range of launch. Looking ahead, it aims to create new customer value technologies, they will think ‘Right, let’s and resolve various social challenges through its businesses. ask Mitsui Chemicals’. Customers will call People create technology, and technology builds up people. us frst, because they will know that con- The company is developing richly creative human resources sulting with Mitsui Chemicals leads to within chemicals, a business with an extremely broad scope of good ideas. We want to be so.. application, and is honing the numerous technologies it has The possibilities of chemistry are infnite. accumulated. Those people and technologies are truly the as- We would like to push ourselves to ’Create sets of Mitsui Chemicals. New Customer Value Through Innovations’ This series puts the spotlight on seven persons who are pio- and to resolve various social issues through neering the future of Mitsui Chemicals, and will introduce the future-looking, fexible ideas, without being stories behind those people and technologies over seven suc- restricted by existing frameworks.” cessive issues, beginning with this one. Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Our 20th-Year Challenges VOL.1 Lenses × Pigment rays, or are used in eyeglasses that combine the functions of sunglasses outdoors and normal clear eyeglasses indoors. They develop color by absorbing the ultra- "Creating Lenses violet rays that are said to be harmful to eyes outdoors, and reduce brightness. The key factor in this is a photochromic pigment that develops color by changing shape when that Protect Eyes and struck by ultraviolet rays. In 2014, Mitsui Chemicals acquired the brand and technology for middle-refractive index pho- Make Lives More Comfortable" tochromic lens materials based on acrylic ma- terial from U.S.-based Corning Inc. Building on this, the company undertook development of Director of Optical Function Design Department, photochromic lens materials based on thioure- Synthetic Chemicals Laboratory, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. thane materials, which surpasses acrylic resin in refractive index and in strength. Mamoru Tanaka “Photochromic pigment didn’t develop col- or in our company’s thiourethane resin. We conducted repeated research, discovered proprietary technology for creating spaces in which color development would work even within the mesh structure of the resin, and succeeded in making color development Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. boasts a 90% he city of Omuta retains the remains heating equipment for solidifying resins, and tions to the world’s lens manufacturers, who “We had increased the amount of sulfur happen,” says Tanaka with pride. global share in high-refractive index T of the Miike Coal Mine that gave sup- other new manufacturing and evaluation will actively use them in new products,” says additive to boost the refractive index, and In addition to this product, the company offers ophthalmic plastic lens materials. The port to ’s modernization. In the central equipment unique to lens manufacturers is Mamoru Tanaka, who leads lens materials struggled to deal with the odor coming from lens materials that include UV+420cut™, an company has steadily expanded its part of the city is Mitsui Chemicals’ Omuta running. Ophthalmic lens materials are the development. the manufacturing process. We were able to ophthalmic lens material that helps protect Works, which began in 1912 as a production leading products of Omuta Works. Drawing on overcome this through teamwork with pro- eyes from not only ultraviolet rays (400nm business, crossing swords with com- Developing beyond 30 years plant for chemicals using the by-products of thiourethane-based materials that make use of cess engineers,” recalls Tanaka of that time. and shorter) but also 400nm-420nm wave- petitors on the world stage for 30 in the lens business coke manufacturing. Even now, the grounds synthetic organic chemical technology origi- length light, and NeoContrast™, which pro- years. The wellspring of that energy is The ongoing challenge of the works contain massive brick buildings nating in coal chemicals, Mitsui Chemicals has In the latter half of the 1980s, manufacturers vides pinpoint control of wavelengths in the the "spirit of manufacturing" handed of protecting eye health that recall the era, and tracks of the trains conquered the world market with its high-re- of ophthalmic lens materials competed to de- area of 585nm, which is said to have a strong down for over a hundred years at the that transported coal. fractive index ophthalmic plastic lens materi- velop high refractive index resins to enable The direction for ophthalmic lens materials effect on brightness and perception of color. company's Omuta Works in Fukuoka Sited on one corner of the grounds is the re- als, and currently has a share of 90%. thin, light lenses. In 1987, Mitsui Chemicals development has shifted markedly to protect- “We plan to further develop the assets that Prefecture in Japan. It is found in Ma- search facility for ophthalmic lens materials. In “In the research facility, we’re pursuing lens made its name known worldwide with the ing people’s eyes, or vision care. This year, our forerunners worked hard to build in the moru Tanaka, who leads ophthalmic the bright interior of the facility, which opened manufacturing process conditions that are successful development MR-6TM, a monomer the company became the frst in the world to past, and undertake development of lens lens materials development. just two years ago, equipment for mixing com- optimal for new lens materials. Our aim is to for lenses with a high-refractive index of 1.60. develop in-mass photochromic lens materi- materials that protect eyes,” adds Tanaka. positions and pouring them into lens molds, provide these materials and process condi- Tanaka joined the company in 1994, at the als with refractive indexes of 1.60 and 1.67, Over a century has passed since the found- height of the development competition. the SunSensorsTM-MR-8TM and MR-10TM. ing of the Omuta Works. Even as the shape Indoors Luminous transmittance (%) “Other companies had launched new prod- Photochromic lenses change from clear to of the industry changes, the spirit of manu- 100 90 Earlier products from ucts with a refractive index of 1.70. In black or brown when struck by ultraviolet facturing continues to be handed down. Mitsui Chemicals 80 SunSensorsTM-MR-8TM response, we decided to productize a 1.70 70 SunSensorsTM-MR-10TM monomer with our thiourethane materials. I 60 was of course involved with monomer design 50 Creating breakthrough lens materials that protect eyes 40 and development, but also design of the 30 manufacturing process and even construc- Mitsui Chemicals is going beyond existing ophthalmic lens technology, leveraging the chemical 20 Outdoors products, flms, nanotechnology lineup, and basic research capabilities it possesses as a diversifed 10 tion of the plant,” says Tanaka. In 2000, the 0 company launched MR-174TM, which boast- chemical company. Doing so, the company aims to create innovative lens materials that meet 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 customers' needs and resolve ophthalmic issues, in areas of both ocular health and comfort. Time (seconds) ed a refractive index of 1.74, the highest in As shown in the above graph of luminous transmittance, SunSensors™ of the world at the time. photochromic lens materials develop color much faster than earlier products when struck by ultraviolet rays, and quickly regain transparency when not.

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. http://group.mitsuichemicals.com/ Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Our 20th-Year Challenges VOL.2 Soft and strong nonwoven fabrics

structure for softness, and aligned the fbers’ molecular chains in the same di- rection to achieve high strength.” "I Want to Produce Fibers With a hollowing rate of 20%, the f- bers also reduce the use of raw materi- als. The company achieved nonwoven in the Tens of Thousands fabric that is not only “gentle to people” but also “gentle to the environment.” The problem is the mass production without Breaking, Enough to process, in which the nozzle width ex- tends to several meters. Tens of thou- sands of fibers are spun at once, and Circle the World Six Times" even one must not break. The reason is that nonwoven fabric is pulled as it is produced, and the spot Director,Technology Management Dept. where fbers have broken can rip open. Nonwovens Division, Health Care Business Sector, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. “What we’re aiming for is a length about six times the circumference of Kenichi the earth, or in terms of time, continual production for a year without even one breakage of fbers,” explains Suzuki. Nonwoven fabric, made through lo- calized thermal bonding of tens of thou- Mitsui Chemicals commands the high- heir width is a fraction of that of a year,” says Kenichi Suzuki, Technology to develop AIRYFATM, the world’s first zuki. Women appear to have a clearly sands of ultra-fne (10- to 20-microme- est-level technology in Asia for sani- T human hair. Shining, semi-trans- Unifcation Group Leader in the compa- flexible nonwoven textile with high keener sense when it comes to touch- ter diameter) fibers into sheet form, tary-use high-performance nonwoven parent fibers spin out at high speed, ny’s Nonwovens Division, in relaxed strength, and launched the product in ing skin. requires exacting production technolo- hundreds or thousands at a time. Ex- tones. The difficulty of manufacturing May of 2017. Nonwoven fabric is mate- gy. Production conditions can vary with fabrics, such as those used in dispos- You can't do new things tending a hand toward them, one feels fbers is diffcult to appreciate by sight rial in the form of a sheet of fbers that changes in temperature and humidity. able diapers. Kenichi Suzuki is the per- without conviction a wind blowing strongly downward in alone, yet trouble-free operation of intertwine without weaving. AIRYFATM, Suzuki says his motto is “Stick to son who maintains quality as technolo- the direction of the fbers’ fow. The f- mass production machines calls for a which takes its name from “airy” and How did the development of the non- convictions.” “When we attempt some- gy supervisor. Wanting to engage in bers quickly form a cotton candy-like whole new world of production technol- “fabric,” features both softness and woven fabric AIRYFATM, with its oppos- thing new, we’re questioned over work that leads to business, he applied mass and pile up in the hand (photo, ogy. strength. It is used in thigh side gathers ing qualities of soft and strong, come whether we can really do it, and we for a departmental transfer in his third bottom left). in disposable baby diapers sold by ma- about? can’t say no. We can generally tell the Nearly all evaluation members year with the company. Since then, he “This is a small prototype machine, jor manufacturers of sanitary goods. “Over time, we had developed and reliability of whether we’ll succeed from are women has continued to pursue new function- but our goal is to run mass production Suzuki explains, “Nonwoven fabrics built up a variety of products and tech- past experience. What’s important is ality as a specialist in high-perfor- machines, with a fber-spinning breadth Mitsui Chemicals leveraged its pro- have gradually improved. To achieve nologies that included crimped fibers having the conviction that our technolo- mance nonwoven fabrics that improve of several meters, continuously for a prietary polyolefn spinning technology gentleness to skin, two things have re- nonwoven fabrics made with coil- gy or product is certain to be praised the quality of life. cently become important in disposable shaped fbers. For AIRYFATM, we modi- once it goes out into the world. Without baby diapers: a softness felt when the fed the spinning nozzle and other parts that, we can’t move even a step for- material directly touches skin, and a ft to give the fibers a thin-walled hollow ward.” High AIRYFA™ that maintains softness during move- Strength index value Earlier products ment.” Mitsui Chemicals quantifes and eval- Higher oriention Fiber cross section uates the sensory expression of “gen- Making even greater contributions to quality of life Fiber cross section tleness to the skin” using a “softness The ft and softness of AIRYFATM are expected to make their way into masks, sanitary napkins, and Low Uniformity High index” it developed on its own. other products, contributing to the improvement of QOL (quality of life). Mitsui Chemicals intends to Compared with a cross section of a fber used in conventional nonwo- ven fabrics, the AIRYFATM fber cross section reveals a hollow interior. “The way a mother rubs a baby’s bot- strengthen its rollout of nonwoven fabrics into Asia, with the Chinese market holding particular The hollowing rate is 20%. This hollowness creates a softer feel than tom was very important in this. The promise. As China becomes increasingly stratifed, luxury goods orientation is stronger than it is in do earlier products when the fbers are bent. The product also en- members in charge of the evaluation Japan, with a vastly larger number of consumers seeking such goods. sures high tensile strength in the direction of the fibers. AIRYFATM makes use of fbers that combine high softness with high strength. system are nearly all women,” says Su-

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. http://group.mitsuichemicals.com/ Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Our 20th-Year Challenges VOL.3 Soundproofing solutions offered by Mitsui Chemicals Examples of Mitsui Chemicals Overview of soundproofing technologies Group products Airborne noise ・Nonwovens ・Polyurethane ・Polyurethane Absorption Insulation foam foam ・Mitsui EPTTM ・EPT Sponge Noise absorption Blocking the ・MilastomerTM Fumito Takeuchi is taking action to solve and reverberation control transmission of sound Energy conversion Soundproofing Energy reflection, the problem of the noise that pervades (absorption,attenuation) insulation (comfort) "My Music-Loving Days the world. He is combining nonwovens, DampingDamping Isolation ・Mitsui EPTTM ・Mitsui EPTTM polyurethane, polyolefn rubber, and oth- ・Polyurethane ・ABSORTOMERTM Resonance suppression vibration-isolation elastomer & foam er materials in which Mitsui Chemicals Structureborne noise as a Student Live On in has competitive edge to offer optimal Aiming for polymer solutions through bundling Mitsui Chemicals analyzes the sound- sound control solutions. What are the (combining, compositing) source from automobile power win- current challenges for this researcher, dows and offers ideas for what sort of Soundproofing measures call for the analysis of how sound transmits and the setting of measures can be implemented to re- My Acoustic Research" who is music lover, to deliver brand new countermeasures. Sound absorption and insulation are effective against airborne noise, while duce unwanted sounds. The image at value to the world? damping and vibration isolation are effective against structureborne noise. Mitsui Chemicals left is a visualization of sound-sourc- has material technology suited to sound absorption, insulation, damping, and vibration isola- es, measured with sound-source vi- tion, and offers even more effective soundproofng solutions by combining these. sualization equipment. Senior Researcher and Leader in Charge of Acoustic Materials Elastomer Department, Polymeric Materials Laboratory R&D Center, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Fumito Takeuchi umito Takeuchi winds the key on a materials made with nonwovens or poly- made it diffcult for staff to hear orders. partment for the core product EPT (eth- F metal music box and places it on the urethane foam, and vibration-isolation ma- “We measured the noise level at 85 deci- ylene-propylene-terpolymer) in 2013. desk. Its high-pitched chiming reverberates terials made with polyolefn rubber. Howev- bels. The restaurant asked us to lower this These were an adhesive for LCD panels, through the room. It’s considerably harsh er, Takeuchi wondered whether the to 75 decibels within two months. So we and sealing sheets for photovoltaic cells. In to the ear. company could bundle such materials to quickly analyzed the noise generated by both cases, I talked with customers and felt “What would you do if this sound is too offer better solutions for the acoustic man- the dishwasher, and worked to design a motivated by the work of creating some- much? Normally, you would close the lid,” agement. soundproof cover,” says Takeuchi. Mitsui thing that didn’t exist. That’s why I won- he says. The leader of research into He frst set his sights on the automotive Chemicals designed the soundproof panel dered whether there wasn’t something new Materials that manipulate sound acoustic materials, Takeuchi covers the feld. and ftted the backs of the dish entry and we could do with EPT, and hit upon the music box with a container shaped like a “In the past, the polyurethane team had exit panels with nonwovens to absorb the idea of using it for sound management.” temple bell. However, there is nearly no individually proposed polyurethanes to noise, and attached sound insulating cur- Takeuchi is a dedicated music fan. In his change in the grating sound. So Takeuchi customers, and the nonwovens team had tains made from foamed polyethylene student days, he immersed himself in pulls out a sheet and spreads it beneath done the same with polyurethane team. In sheets with a three-layer structure. As a band activities. the music box. Its sound is immediately fact, though, combining polyurethane foam result, the company succeeded in lowering “After a number of detours, I’m happy softened, becoming barely audible. with nonwovens creates an excellent the noise level below the target 75 deci- that I’ve settled into work that involves “The music box was striking the desk, sound absorbing material. By bundling ma- bels within the time limit. sound. In the future, I want to tackle not creating vibrations that caused sound. This terials, we plan to offer higher performance only countermeasures for unwanted The truth lies within dialogs is called structureborne noise. Vibra- and new value,” explains Takeuchi about sounds but also the creation of comfort- with customers tion-isolation by spreading a rubber sheet the company’s strategy. able sounds, and one step ahead, the so that vibrations aren’t transmitted to the In 2015, the company established an Why did Takeuchi launch the acoustics creation of comfortable spaces,” he ex- desk is effective as a soundproofng mea- acoustics testing room and began full- solutions business? plains. Flying around the country and in- sure,” says Takeuchi, explaining his exper- scale research into noise countermeasure “After I joined the company in 2001, I was teracting with customers day to day, iments into sound. He notes that he often technologies. As an example, the company involved in the development of two new Takeuchi can be viewed as setting a new performs such experiments when visiting analyzes the sound-source from automo- products until I moved to the research de- style for researchers. customers for the first time. This is be- bile power windows and offers ideas for cause hearing the actual change in sound what sort of measures, implemented in best helps people understand the essence what parts, can reduce unwanted sounds. of sound countermeasures. Recently, it undertook noise muffling Creating spaces where children can spend time at ease measures for institutional dishwashers, at Mitsui Chemicals is working with universities on proof-of-concept testing to install nonwoven Creating new value through bundling the request of the Yoshinoya restaurant sound-absorbing material in the walls and ceilings of kindergarten rooms, an effort that has yielded Mitsui Chemicals started research on the chain. The shop had considered the install results. Confrmed effects include more relaxed behavior among children and reduced stress in theme of acoustics three years ago. Until of a conveyor-type dishwasher with at- their caregivers, thanks to improved ease of hearing voices. This is expected to aid in the creation then, the company had developed individ- tached robotic arm to deal with a personnel of environments where children can spend time at ease. ual applications such as sound absorbing shortage, but the noise from the system

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. http://group.mitsuichemicals.com/ Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Integration of Metals and Resins Our 20th-Year Challenges VOL.4 hance our lineup, we’re now conducting development with a variety of alloy types.” Integration technology for metals and resins is actually used commonly in smart- phone housing. These employ a structure "I'm Growing Together with that uses aluminum in the case to evoke a sense of luxury, and resin in parts to let the Technological Development electromagnetic waves through. Experimenting in Zambia to reduce TM weight in unmanned aircraft of POLYMETAC " The greatest success of POLYMETACTM has been its adoption in the frame compo- nents of autonomous unmanned aerial ve- Researcher, Hybrid Materials Department hicles (UAVs) from unmanned aircraft de- New Products Development Laboratory, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. veloper Aerosense Inc. (Koishikawa, ). Integrating carbon fber reinforced Mizue Kuriyagawa plastic (CFRP) parts with aluminum alloy joints enabled the redesign of a joint, initial- ly composed of 20 parts, into a single part, while reducing the joint’s weight by 50%. This extended assumed flight distance by 40%. The Japan International Coopera- tion Agency (JICA) and Aerosense are us- Mizue Kuriyagawa, who received her he other day, when I saw an autumn POLYMETACTM is a technology that began in 2013. Kuriyagawa was a member various methods exist for metal/resin inte- ing the UAVs in experiments to transport PhD for research in rheology (the study “T mackerel sky, I thought how it looked takes advantage of the properties of met- from the beginning. Mitsui Chemicals gration technologies, the company select- medical supplies in Zambia. of the flow of matter), is in her fifth like a metallic surface seen through an als and resins to bond them into one. Re- began research and development in ed the method of chemical treatment with In the development of the joints for the year with Mitsui Chemicals. She is an electron microscope. I guess it’s an occu- placing portions of metal components with earnest as a part of its components mass production and handling of complex UAVs, “We had to make adjustments in design properties while achieving the re- indispensable presence in the compa- pational disease (laughs).” resin can reduce weight and even enhance business. It did so under the concepts of shapes in mind. Mizue Kuriyagawa, who engages in re- design properties. Conversely, making a “multi-materials” and “integration of metals However, soaking metal in chemicals to quired strength, which is what required the ny’s research and development into search and development of POLY- portion of resin components metal can in- and resins,” which were inspired by discus- create micropores that facilitate the anchoring most time in design,” Kuriyagawa recalls. POLYMETACTM, a new metal/resin inte- METACTM, has a cheerful laugh. She is crease strength. Integrated molding of sion of weight reduction when employees effect was not an easy matter. “The reaction She studied design after joining the com- gration technology. “What I enjoy most said to have a talent for easily switching metals and resins can also reduce the conducted hearings with automobile with the chemicals naturally varies with the pany, and gained the ability to draw up in research is when hypotheses and into and out of work mode, but recalling number of components. In other words, manufacturers. chemical composition of the metal, but even plans by learning from others. The ability results match,” she says, always smil- metallic surfaces from a mackerel sky is POLYMETACTM is an integration technolo- when the chemical composition is the same, to perform design matched to customers’ Working to acquire ing while tirelessly moving forward. surely a sign of her having scrutinized the gy that takes the best of the two materials. it also varies with the sort of processing needs is a strength of Mitsui Chemicals. knowledge of metals surfaces of various metals. Research into POLYMETACTM formally method by which the surface was obtained.” “Together with the growth of POLY- Kuriyagawa worked eagerly to acquire Kuriyagawa spent long days in trial and METACTM, I’ve also grown as a member of knowledge of metals. error, working with metal surfaces and the company,” says Kuriyagawa, who

A box that can be easily assembled from a metal sheet “There are many kinds of aluminum al- crystallization states. “We mainly used alu- dreams of a future in which this technology (photo, left side) and smartphone housing prototypes. loys. They differ in chemical composition, minum alloys in development, but to en- further blossoms. The merits of mass production through integrated molding include weight reduction, high bonding and the condition of their surfaces varies strength, and the improvement of design properties. with die casting, extrusion material and rolled material.” Aiming for higher performance as well as weight reduction and simplification The principle behind POLYMETACTM is The adoption of POLYMETACTM in the housing of home appliances and electronic devices is antici- as follows. Metal is immersed in chemicals pated, and the technology is expected to see application within the next few years in automotive parts to create complex micropores on its sur- like door, seat and control components. In addition to weight reduction through partial use of resins, Integrated molding of an aluminum alloys joint and three face. Resin is injected into the micropores improvement of design properties, simplifcation through reduction in the number of components, and CFRP structural material parts (left). Previously, these had in the metal surface, achieving high bond- improvement of assembly processes through integration of metals and resins, the technology appears been connected using screws, bushing, and other parts, with the components numbering 20. Above is an image of ing strength through an anchoring effect in to be of use in areas that enhance performance, such as heat radiation and air tightness. a metal surface after immersing in chemicals. Resin en- the resin as it works into the metal. While ters into the complex micropores and bonds tightly.

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. http://group.mitsuichemicals.com/ Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Film that Maintains Freshness Our 20th-Year Challenges VOL.5

country. Mitsui Chemicals began with the com- position of the resins that form the raw material for the flms, and through demonstration exper- iments is discovering an operation manual for "I'll Make 17 Years of storage optimized for the producing region, such as storage methods (including tempera- ture management), shipping timing, and trans- Bio Research Bloom with port methods. As a part of this effort, from this year the company has begun full-scale participation in a Technology that Makes Japan-local strategic projection conducted by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO). Through industry-aca- Food Live" demia-government collaboration, the project will perform demonstration research on tech- nology for exporting fresh fruits and vegetables Basic Technologies Group Leader, Planning & Coordination Division, at low cost while preserving freshness. Mitsui Food & Packaging Business Sector, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Chemicals will provide high-functionality pack- aging materials, and will undertake the devel- Nobumasa Yoshida opment of freshness-keeping and storage technology. Don't give up before achieving results

Food loss and waste is a problem riving along Prefectural Road 151 run- sphere flm that is under development. When Making use of polymerization pass through. In Mitsui Chemicals’ flms, how- Yoshida has a unique career as an engineer. worldwide. Nobumasa Yoshida leads D ning east-west through Fukuoka Pre- the work is fnished, he takes out “Shine Mus- technology in freshness-keeping ever, the raw material, the resin itself, controls He joined Mitsui Chemicals as a researcher in the development of freshness-keeping fecture, greenery-rich scenes of vineyards cat” that were stored earlier, and checks sug- gas permeability. This lessens the risk of vari- 1989, and spent 17 years in areas including re- flm that enables long-term preservation catch the eye. In one section of this farmland ar content and other properties using analyti- Food loss and waste has become a problem ous bacteria entering, and simplifes manufac- search to control the timing of fower blooming of fresh fruits and vegetables as one is Yamaguchi Farm, which grows “Shine Mus- cal equipment. He will perform those checks worldwide. A large amount of food is wasted not turing processes by not requiring process for through genetic modifcation. Following that, he cat” and is frequently visited by a Mitsui regularly for several months, to assess the only when uneaten by consumers but also at creating perforations. was transferred under organizational restruc- prescription for the problem. His career Chemicals engineer. Nobumasa Yoshida storage status of the grapes. the stages of production, processing, distribu- “We’ve developed technology that controls turing and worked for 10 years in personnel as an engineer is a unique one. For 17 leads the development of packaging flms for “Our company has demonstrated examples of tion, and retail. Mitsui Chemicals has strengths gas permeability by compounding resins that placement and training within the Human Re- years after joining Mitsui Chemicals, he the long-term preservation of fresh fruits and ‘Shine Muscat’, placed in cold storage inside in a variety of products and technologies, from have exceptionally high carbon dioxide perme- sources Division. Last year, he returned to the undertook bio research including genet- vegetables. modified atmosphere film, that maintained resin raw materials to processes for flms and ability with resins that have other properties. As Development Department for food evaluation. ic modifcation of plants. After a 10-year Upon reaching the vineyard, he puts on a freshness with nearly no change in appearance packaging. Yoshida’s team wondered whether the concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxy- “I had invaluable experiences during my time gap, he is now tackling the development windbreaker and enters a large cold room for about fve months. If ‘Shine Muscat’ harvest- new solutions could be built on this base, taking gen that are optimal for freshness-keeping vary in the Human Resources Division, but I’m deep- of packaging material that protects the kept at a low temperature. He is there to per- ed in summer and autumn are shipped around freshness-keeping as their approach. according to the type, variety, and producing ly grateful for this chance to leverage my expe- “life of fresh fruits and vegetables.” form the work of putting pre-cooled “Shine the end of the year, they’ll fetch a high price in “We’ll offer fresh fruit and vegetable produc- area of fresh fruits and vegetables, demonstra- rience as a researcher after 10 years. I hope to Muscat” into bags made from modifed atmo- the market,” Yoshida says with a smile. ers, distribution and retail businesses, and other tion experiments are vital,” says Yoshida. make this business grow large, however I can,” customers not only film for use as packaging That is the reason why Yoshida travels to he says. The eyes of the development mem- The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) Japan-local strategic projection in which Mitsui Chemicals is participating material, but also know-how for maintaining vineyards in Fukuoka Prefecture and to peach, bers watching over Yoshida hold expectations high freshness. By doing so, we believe we can mango, strawberry, and other farms around the for this quiet but passionate leader. The role of Mitsui Chemicals Okayama Ishikawa Supermarkets Larger fruit; Promotion of coloring offer a number of merits, including improvement -Demonstration experiments Feedback to Yamanashi Taste-testing producing areas high-functionality through cooling of for freshness-keeping and Buyer evaluations fruit bags, etc. fruit bunches, etc. Selection/ of profits by reducing losses from waste, and storage technology using improvement of materials high-functionality packaging for export, etc. the creation of business opportunities.” materials Quality evaluations Revolutionizing distribution in Japan's agriculture -Provision of overseas by production parties, Joint export examinations investigation sites market survey Export Sharing of The deciding factor in packaging material for export information Extending the period for freshness-keeping broadens the trading zone for producers. As an example, as cherries are quality evaluations maintaining freshness is the permeability of ox- Hong Kong Singapore Tokushima Wakayama prone to damage, harvesting cherries in Yamagata Prefecture for sale in Western Japan had been diffcult. However, Vietnam Malaysia Freshness-keeping Anti-decay technology for ygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases. This is technology for strawberries, mandarin orange, improvements to packaging materials make this possible. In addition, to contribute to the promotion of exports of do- surface sterilization for freshness-keeping technology because fresh fruits and vegetables live and Cooperation with Mitsui Chemicals Singapore R&D Center citrus fruits, etc. for persimmons/peaches, etc. mestic fresh fruits and vegetables to the ASEAN region, where wealthy and middle-class consumers are increasing Under the leadership of Okayama University, producers from Yamanashi, Tokushima, and three other prefectures, distribution business- breathe until they are consumed. In general, rapidly, the project is undertaking development of freshness-keeping technology aimed at long-distance transport. es, and other parties are taking part in joint examinations for the export of local specialty produce, primarily to Asia. Mitsui Chemicals will perforations are made in flms to allow gases to provide high-functionality packaging materials, and will undertake the development of freshness-keeping and storage technology.

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Sepsis – a life-threatening disease posing se- A restart from zero. vere systemic symptoms that is caused by a pathogen entering the blood stream in the hu- man body. More than anything, lifesaving is a There is no greater reward fight against time. While the conventional method to identify the infecting bacteria often Double-strand NDA separates into two single DNA strands as heat is applied. The temperature at takes 2-3 days, a new method has been devel- Matching database which double-strand NDA separates (Tm) depends Number of registered bacteria: on the DNA’s nucleotide sequence. The new meth- for developers than to oped that drastically reduces the time down to More than 150 strains od measures the Tm of 7 different parts of DNA about 5 hours. The person striving to produc- and has them mathematically mapped (above). tize this “Rapid in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) kit for The bacterial species is identifed by matching this contribute to lifesaving mapped pattern with the database in which most identifcation of bacteria” is Osamu Yasui. bacteria causing sepsis are registered (left).

Senior Researcher, New Products Development laboratory, and Leader, Medical Solutions Business Development Next Generation Business Development Division eople’s precious lives are protected by rate. One of the challenges is in the clinical was a reason for this. clinical testing kit? Yasui answered, “Assum- Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. Rapid in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) kit for identifcation of bacteria P many people – from medical doctors testing practice to identify the infecting bacte- Mitsui Chemicals used to have a pharma- ing all the possible cases, and to guarantee and nurses to family members and relatives. ria. A blood culture is normally used, but this ceutical group, but sold the business, includ- the quality of the commercialized product. We Osamu Yasui The ones who also play an important role are method requires 2-3 days to get the testing ing many staff with expertise, to a pharmaceu- also need further development of technology the people in the medical industry who are result. Meanwhile, the patient’s condition gets tical company in the year of 2000. This tough to enable to identify the causative bacteria in engaged in the development of the medicine, worse, and the mortality rate is said to in- decision was made when the pharmaceutical a simple manner with high accuracy.” medical devices and clinical testing tools. crease by 8% per hour. industry was intensifying the competition. This issue frequently encountered at this Osamu Yasui, whose goal is to commercial- In order to solve this problem, Hideki Niimi, He said, “We used to have the technology site of the clinical lab is the contamination of ize the “Rapid in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) kit for Associate Professor at Graduate School of and know-how related to pharmaceuticals foreign substances. “Though our work with identifcation of bacteria”, which identifes the Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science Uni- and diagnostics. However, we lost all of it the medical institutions, we have experienced causative bacteria of sepsis, is one of these versity of Toyama, Japan, developed a new from that point.” that the contamination tends to occur if the people. rapid method to identify the bacteria by lab control is not sufficient,” said Yasui, When asked about the moment he was checking its DNA. DNA usually exists in a Re-starting with biotechnology “Therefore, we are now selling a re- proud to be a developer, “It was when I form of two strands tangled together, and if It was fortunate, however, that the compa- search-use-only sample with on-site technical heard from a person at a medical institution heat is applied, the tangled strands separate ny still possessed strength in biotechnology. support.” He plans to obtain the regulatory that a newborn’s life had been saved with into single strands. The temperature at which For example, the enzyme technology for approval in 2019 in Japan, and commercialize this method. I felt deeply rewarded and double-strand DNA separates (called melting amino acid production, and the plant cell cul- the IVD kit for rapid identifcation of bacteria. proud to be working on this project”, he re- temperature: Tm) depends on the DNA’s nu- ture technology for manufacturing of chemi- “I believe that a job that contributes to plied. “Although we are still at the stage of cleotide sequence that characterizes the cals at Mitsui Chemicals, have medical care is valuable. It is not limited to clinical research and our kit is the research bacteria. Niimi’s method measures the Tm of been inherited within the research groups. widely promoting the use of this kit, but also reagent under development, the fact of hav- seven different parts of DNA, and compares “This project started with this background in includes developing new diagnostic kits.” ing saved a life of a person, regardless of with the master data in the database. In this biotechnology, including DNA recombination”, The IVD kit for rapid identifcation of bacteria age, reminds me of the value and the re- method, the infecting bacteria can be identi- said Yasui, “But it was totally a new business is positioned as one of the items expected to sponsibility of this project.” fied in about five hours. This test requires and a real challenge for Mitsui Chemicals.” drive the growth of Mitsui Chemicals’ life sci- only a small volume of blood, and therefore it What is the hard part in commercializing the ence business. Reducing Testing Time benefts infants and the elderly by reducing from 2-3 days to about 5 hours the burden on their bodies. Sepsis is a severe infammatory condition Mitsui Chemicals received the license of There is a strong need in the world for the IVD kit responding to the pathogen entering the this technology from the University of Toya- a rapid identification of bacteria. blood stream from the infected area, such as ma in early 2012. In April in the same year, the through the lungs by pneumonia. When Mitsui Chemicals offcially started the project The University of Toyama invented a new testing method, called Tm Mapping, and Mitsui Chemi- people lose their lives due to multiple organ for the development of the IVD kit for rapid cals is developing the IVD kit for commercialization. “Selling the IVD kit only in Japan is not enough failure, the cause in many cases is sepsis. identifcation of bacteria. in terms of business. We need to do sales world-wide.” Yasui envisions a scenario including the Despite recent advancements in medical “We started from zero”, Yasui recalled, “We overseas market. The next big challenge is “to develop a fully automated machine for this IVD kit.” technology, sepsis still has a high mortality didn’t know what we needed to know.” There

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and drew attention as a robot that could safely perform heavy work. From that ex- perience, Mitsui Chemicals has moved forward with development of optimal pro- Making a Future cessed materials for robots, widening its view from industrial robots to also en- compass service robots used in nursing Where Robots and People care and customer interaction. “Polyurethane gels are drawing atten- tion as a material to replace the silicone Live Together Safely that is used for the exterior of humanoid robots. By controlling the mixture ratio of isocyanate and polyol, our company has Team Leader, Polyurethane Materials Design Department developed a human skin-like gel that Synthetic Chemicals Laboratory, R&D Center, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. combines transparency, strength, and Hiroshi Kanayama fexibility,” says Kanayama. The wonderful sense of achievement at the summit

“He doesn’t quit. Even when others say something is good enough, he carries Photo: Tokyo Robot Lab. ORIX Rentec Corporation through. I think that’s his good point.” That’s how the members of the project Robotics will have an impact on our pile of a substance that looks like gi- Therefore, we always design and com- er with people without the previously re- parts remained undecided. team evaluate Kanayama as a researcher. lives and places of production. As a A ant blocks of “koya dofu” (freeze mercialize the optimal materials”, explains quired safety barriers. In response, the “We have to produce ideally-shaped Kanayama was a member of the next-generation business, Mitsui Chem- dried tofu) can be found in a cabinet, but Hiroshi Kanayama, who has devoted him- competition among robot manufacturers to parts stably, within the determined time. mountain climbing club in high school. icals has set their sights on this field. touching it reveals various qualities of self to the design of urethane materials for develop collaborative robots has intensi- As the robot will work alongside people, Hailing from Prefecture in the Tohoku region, he carried heavy loads in The company is paving the way into elasticity and smoothness. These are ac- 18 years. fed. One of the keys to solving the great- visual design sense is also required. We tually samples of urethane foam proto- In 2015, the team under his lead began est issue of all, safety, is the cushioning had an especially hard time creating the excess of 20 kilograms numerous times new territories with its diverse technol- types developed in the past. a project to greatly expand the possibilities material. Mitsui Chemicals has extensive surface smoothness,” Kanayama recalls. up Mount Adatara and . ogies for designing and molding resins. “Urethane foam is used all around us, as of urethane. The target was exterior parts experience and achievements in the pro- For numerous parts of complex shape, “Every time I climbed, I wondered why Standing at the forefront is Hiroshi cushioning material in car ceilings and and materials for robots that work along- cessing of urethane foam, which offers Mitsui Chemicals managed to come up I was doing something so hard, but at Kanayama, who leads the development seats, insulation material in refrigerators, side people, “collaborative robots”. high shock absorption. Leveraging this with over 100 improvements in just two the summit there would be a wonderful of urethane products. He is stepping and more. Attributes, such as strength and Japan’s Industrial Safety and Health strength, the company started developing months. “We made use of our experi- view. Through my experience mountain into the rapidly growing market of “col- elasticity, which are required to achieve a Regulations were partially revised in De- materials for exterior parts suited to robots. ence in creating hundreds of molded climbing, I may have picked up the idea laborative robots”. specific degree of functionality or perfor- cember 2013, allowing industrial robots of products for car interiors,” says Kanaya- that something good will happen if I stick Breaking through difficulties mance, will vary according to application. 80W or higher rated output to work togeth- ma concerning the days of sweating over it out and continue,” Kanayama laughs by using the company's strengths the work. cheerfully. He is sure to make use of that as a raw material manufacturer At the end of the struggles, the collabo- natural persistence as he continues pio- Human skin-like polyurethane gel that achieves “Our frst diffculty was the material de- rative robot was launched on schedule, neering new worlds in urethane. transparency and strength sign. We had to achieve the targeted ［MPa］ Strong 1.5 performance with several constraints,

Tensile strength such as fame retardance. We went back 1.0 to the raw materials in our investigations, Helping the robot industry develop through performance and lighter weight and designed the optimal molecular Mitsui Chemicals established the Robot Materials Business Development Division in April 2016, 0.5 structure. That let us break through the with the aim of offering total solutions that span materials to component processing. In addition Polyurethane gel developed by Mitsui Chemicals Existing polyurethane gel diffculty,” says Kanayama. to urethane exterior materials, the division will support the commercialization of robots from a WeakWeak 0.0 Low (opaque) Total light transmittance High (transparent) But that was not the only difficulty. variety of angles, including polyolefn lens materials for vision, POLYMETAC™ integrally molded The soft polyurethane gel developed by Mitsui Chemicals has a Even as the launch date for the collabo- metal and resin for bones, and touch sensors for robotic hands. Developing diverse urethane foams matched high total light transmittance of about 90%, and achieves over twice rative robot drew near, the shape of its to applications the strength of existing polyurethane gel of the same transmittance.

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