Message from the General Manager Research & Development Division

Fumiaki Iwasaki
Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer, General Manager, Research & Development Division

At Tokuyama our R&D is driven by a passion to create ever more sophisticated original products that make the most of our proprietary technologies to meet customer needs.

The Medium-Term Management Plan 2025 defines the Tokuyama vision as being "a value-creative company whose top priorities are R&D and marketing." Although the term marketing itself has various definitions, broadly speaking it can be said to be the "creation of mechanisms by which products and services can be sold or selected (i.e., customers want to buy them)." R&D within a company is defined as "actions that serve to create products that customers will want to buy."

As a materials-based chemical company, Tokuyama has not always emphasized marketing, but the new Medium-Term Management Plan, which places marketing firmly at the starting point of "manufacturing," makes a strong statement of our intention to foster a new corporate culture. The role that technical personnel must play in fostering corporate culture is also very significant.

Since the formulation of the previous Medium-Term Management Plan, R&D at the Tokuyama Group has been based on the following slogan: "One Tokuyama = Exceeding the limit" - Exceeding technological limit and organizational barriers, responding to customers by uniting Tokuyama.

We have worked to promote R&D by refining proprietary technologies based on our own unique technologies, in response to customer needs. In addition, by fostering and acquiring new technologies, we have developed Tokuyama's R&D capabilities to further exceed the expectations of our customers.

Meanwhile, Tokuyama has announced a target of achieving carbon neutrality by fiscal 2050, as our contribution to the fight against climate change. The reduction of CO2 emissions is a global challenge, and it is one that Tokuyama is determined to face head on.
Roles that are expected of R&D are to "accelerate development of and commercialize next-generation energy technologies" and "develop and install green products," and these are challenges that cannot be met with anything less than wholehearted effort. At Tokuyama, we will do everything in our power to overcome obstacles by further developing our proprietary technologies, strengthening our external collaboration with industry, academia, and government, and actively recruiting external talent.

The needs of society are becoming increasingly more diversified and the speed of change is getting faster. Tokuyama's R&D will respond flexibly to changes in society, remain constantly aware of where our customers' needs lie, and create value that is useful for our lives by matching those needs with specific technologies.

"For the people of tomorrow"
Tokuyama R&D will continue to rise to the challenge with integrity, perseverance, a playful spirit and boldness.