Asahi Kasei Corporation history, profile and history video
Asahi Kasei Corporation is a Japanese holding company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It can trace its roots back to May 1922, when Shitagau Noguchi founded Asahi Fabric Co.
In 1923, Japan Nitrogenous Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. began the manufacturing of synthetic ammonia in Nobeoka.
In 1931, Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber Co., Ltd., the formal establishment of Asahi Kasei, was established, producing ammonia, nitric acid, and other chemicals.
In 1933, Nobeoka Ammonia Fiber acquired Japan Bemberg Fiber Co., Ltd. and Asahi Fabric Co., Ltd., forming Asahi Bemberg Fiber Co., Ltd.
In 1943, Asahi Bemberg Fiber acquired Japan Nitrogenous Explosives Co., Ltd., forming Japan Nitrogenous Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
In 1946, Japan Nitrogenous Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. changed its name to Asahi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
1952, Asahi-Dow Co., Ltd. was established as a petrochemical joint venture with the Dow Chemical Company.
In the 1960s and 1990s, the company began branching into new fields such as acrylonitrile, construction materials, petrochemicals, glass fabrics, ethylene, housing, medical devices, electronics, engineered resins, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and liquors.
In 1999, the food business was divested to Japan Tobacco, Inc.
In 2001, Asahi Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. changed its name to Asahi Kasei Corp.
In 2016, Asahi Kasei Corp became an operating holding company through the merger of Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corp., Asahi Kasei Fibers Corp., and Asahi Kasei E-materials Corp.
In 2018, the company acquired Sage Automotive Interiors, Inc., a global supplier of technical textiles for the automotive industry.
Asahi Kasei Corp is the holding company for Asahi Kasei Group, which operates through its other core operating companies in the three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care.
Material
- Asahi Kasei Corp. – develops fiber products, chemicals, and electronic related materials, in addition to the holding company function.
- Asahi Kasei Microdevices – provides electronic devices and functions that are essential for the manufacturing processes and final products.
Homes
- Asahi Kasei Homes – focuses on the expansion of order-built homes operations, expansion of remodeling, real estate, and financial services, and development of new business.
- Asahi Kasei Construction Materials – provides solution-based products and services in four core areas of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), foundation systems, insulation materials, and structural components
Health Care
- Asahi Kasei Pharma – a specialty pharmaceutical firm focused on the development of new world-class drugs in selected therapeutic fields.
- Asahi Kasei Medical – focuses on medical device systems that respond to unmet needs (such as chronic and acute renal disease, neurologic diseases, and other intractable conditions), filters that improve the quality of blood transfusion products, and products that enable safe and efficient production of biotherapeutics and other medicines at the cutting edge of new drug development.
- ZOLL Medical – is a US manufacturer of critical care devices and systems.
- Veloxis Pharmaceuticals – is a US pharmaceutical company that sells an immunosuppressive drug using proprietary drug delivery technology* to help prevent organ rejection after kidney transplants.
With more than 40,000 employees, Asahi Kasei Corporation is considered one of the Top 2000 Largest Public Companies in the world, according to Forbes.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.asahi-kasei.com/.
**Video published on YouTube by “Asahi Kasei Official“.