Asahi Kasei

Asahi Kasei Corporation
Native name	旭化成株式会社
Romanized name	Asahi Kasei Kabushiki-gaisha
Company type	Public KK
Traded as	TYO: 3407; TOPIX 100 Component; Nikkei 225 Component
Industry	Chemical industry
Founded	(May 21, 1931; 93 years ago)
Headquarters	Jinbocho Mitsui Buildings, Kanda Jinbocho 1-105, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-8101, Japan
Key people	Ichiro Ito; (Chairman of the Board); Toshio Asano; (President)
Products	Chemicals; Fibers; Construction materials; Pharmaceuticals; Medical devices; Electronic devices and materials;
Revenue	$ 18.5 billion (FY 2014) (¥ 1,897 billion) (FY 2014)
Net income	$ 989.7 million (FY 2014) (¥ 101.29 billion) (FY 2014)
Number of employees	29,127 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2014)
Website	Official website
	Footnotes / references;

Asahi Kasei Corporation (旭化成株式会社, Asahi Kasei Kabushiki-gaisha) is a global Japanese chemical company. Its main products are chemicals and materials science.

It was founded in May 1931, using the paid in capital of Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd, a Nobeoka, Miyazaki based producer of ammonia, nitric acid, and other chemicals. Now headquartered in Tokyo, with offices and plants across Japan, as well as China, Singapore, Thailand, U.S.A. and Germany.

The company is listed on the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the TOPIX 100^[3] and Nikkei 225^[4] stock market indices.

Asahi Kasei is a member of the Mizuho keiretsu.

History

The company Asahi Kasei began in the year 1931 with the production of chemicals that included ammonia and nitric acids. In 1949, exchanges between stocks started up between Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Asahi Kasei entered into a joint petrochemical venture with Dow Chemical. A production of Polystyrene and Saran Wrap began in 1952. Diversification into acrylonitrile, construction materials, petrochemicals, glass fabrics, ethylene, housing, medical devices, electronics, engineered resins, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and liquors began in the 1960s and 1990s. Net sales exceeded $10 billion globally in the years 2000-2003. Finally in the years 2008-2009, there was further diversification into medical devices.

Statistics

The company makes about 18 billion dollars globally in annual net sales. Their core operating segments include:

Chemicals (43.4%)
Homes (27.2%)
Healthcare (7.95%)
Fibers (7%)
Electronics (10%)
Construction materials (3.3%)
Services, engineering, and others (1.2%)

Achievements

Asahi Kasei has won many awards over the years of being a company. These awards include the 2013 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards - "Most Innovative Use of Plastics" in the Materials Category for their Sunvieo: Ultrahigh MFR TPV, Nissan Sentra Instrument Panel Skin. Other awards include the 2012 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards for being the “Most Innovative Use of Plastics" again for the Materials Category for their Leona: 60% GF PA 66+6i with Class-A Surface for register vanes, Lincoln MKZ, Ford Fusion, Ford Escape. They won another award in 2011 at the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards for the "Most Innovative Use of Plastics" of Body Exterior Category, Thermylene: GF PP for largest injection molded & twin-sheet thermoformed cargo box, Ram Truck.<http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/asahi/en/aboutasahi/profile/ >

Locations

They currently employ 25,000 people and have a total of 54 manufacturing facilities found in different areas all over the world. Some of these places include North America, Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and Japan.

Their operations in North America are located in Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and Mexico. In Europe it has its site in Brussels, Milan. The sites in Japan are located in Tokyo, Kawasaki, Nobeoka, and Mizushima. The sites in South and East Asia are operate in Suzhou, Shanghai, Thailand, and Singapore.

Business segments and products

The main operations of the company are divided into the following four business sectors:^[5]

Chemicals & Fibers
- Chemicals
- Polymer products
- Specialty chemicals
- Fibers
Homes & Construction Materials
- Foundation systems
- Insulation materials
- AAC-related products
- Structural materials
- Order-built homes
- Real estate–related operations
- Building remodeling
Electronics
- LSIs
- Hall elements and Hall ICs
- Clean energy materials
- Optical and printing materials
- Electronic materials
Health Care
- Blood transfusion devices
- Blood purification devices
- Bioprocess products: leukocyte reduction filters, virus removal filters
- Orthopedics and urology pharmaceuticals
- Critical care devices: defibrillators, wearable defibrillators, automated CPR systems, temperature management systems, data solutions
- Diagnostic reagents
- Nutritional products

Major Contributions of Xyron

Asahi Kasei’s product Xyron contributes several major advantages and contributions to the company. For instance, Xyron is a halogen-free flame retardancy. It has low mold shrinkage, paired with dimensional accuracy and stability. Xyron resists acid and alkalis and is created for electrical property. Not only does it have processability and workability, but contributes a low-water absorption, hot-water resistance, and hydrolytic stability. Xyron has a low-specific gravity of 1.06-1.10 (EEP/PS non-fill). Finally, it has a heat resistance of up to 85-170 degrees Celsius.