JAPAN: Consolidation and enhancement of R&D facilities in the Mizushima Works

Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp. has finalized a decision to consolidate and enhance the R&D facilities in its Mizushima Works in Okayama, Japan, including the construction of a new research complex, in order to reinforce the development of new technologies and enrich the research environment.

As the home to laboratories such as the Chemistry & Chemical Process Laboratory and the Catalyst Laboratory, the Mizushima Works has served as a central base for the development of original core technologies, including petrochemical processes, catalyst chemistry, and organic/inorganic synthesis, which have been a major driving force for R&D in Asahi Kasei Group. Current research programs extend across fields ranging from the environment and energy to resources and health care, and they continue to grow in scale.

While the company’s R&D facilities in the Mizushima Works are currently separated across different locations in District B and District C, they will be centralized in District C with the construction of a new research complex (groundbreaking scheduled for July 2016 and start of utilization scheduled for June 2017) and the enhancement of existing R&D facilities in District C (groundbreaking scheduled for July 2017 start of utilization scheduled for June 2018). Both the phases will involve a total investment of approximately JPY 3 billion.

This will not only enable the scale of research to be expanded with enhanced infrastructure for research activity for the creation of innovative new technologies, but also prepare for the further expansion of R&D activities in the Material business sector which will begin in April 2016 with the Asahi Kasei Group’s reorganization into an operating holding company configuration, and enhance capabilities to extend into new areas of research.

These measures are expected to result in higher-level combinations of differing technologies by facilitating collaborative research in catalyst, process, and material fields, and greater interaction among researchers in different organizations, for the development and commercialization of technologies that contribute to life and living to people around the world.

Source: Asahi Kasei website, 15 Mar 2016
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)