Report

PSA Chemicals / Materials: Price Challenges for Japan's Materials Manufacturers

Joel Scheiman discusses the impact of rising raw material costs and the yen weakness on Japan’s materials makers.
Underlyings
FUJIFILM Holdings Corp

FUJIFILM Holdings is a holding company engaged in the manufacture and sale of imaging information products. Co.'s principal businesses are divided into three segments: imagining solution, information solution and document solution. Co.'s principal products and services are color films, digital cameras "FinePix," photofinishing equipment, color paper, as well as chemicals and services for photofinishing; equipment and materials for medical systems and life sciences, equipment and materials for graphic arts, flat panel display materials, recording media and optical devices; office copy machines/MFPs, printers, as well as production systems and services.

Fujitsu Limited

Fujitsu is the parent company of a group engaged in the information and communication technology businesses. Technology Solutions segment provides system integration, application development and integration, system consulting, IT and business process outsourcing services, cloud computing, SAP and Oracle applications services and managed infrastructure services (network and communication, technical and maintenance and service desk services). The segment also offers security platforms, servers, storage systems and software. Ubiquitous Solutions segment offers desktop PCs, notebook PCs, mobile phones and wearable devices. Device Solutions segment offers LSI devices and electronic components.

HOYA CORPORATION

HOYA and its affiliates are mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of electronics-related products, imaging products, health care products and medical products. Co.'s principal products are photomasks/maskblanks for semiconductors, photomasks/maskblanks and devices for liquid crystal displays ("LCDs"), glass disks for hard disk drives ("HDDs"), optical lenses/glasses, and electro optical glasses; eyeglass lenses, eyeglass frames, contact lenses and accessories, intraocular lenses, endoscopes, bone prosthesis, and medical accessories; cameras, interchangeable lenses, digital camera modules, micro lenses, and CCTV lenses; and crystal glass products.

JFE Holdings Inc.

JFE Holdings is a holding company. Co.'s principal business segments are steel, engineering, and trading. Co., through its subsidiaries and associated companies, is engaged in the manufacture and sale of steel products including sheets, plates, shapes, pipes and tubes, stainless and specialty steels, electrical steels, bars and wire rods, and iron powders; and the provision of engineering services in such fields as energy industries, environmental industries, and water and waste water facilities; as well as the domestic and overseas trading including both importing and exporting, mainly steel products, but also raw materials for steel, non-ferrous metals, chemicals, machinery and ships.

Nissha Co.Ltd.

Nissha is engaged in the production of general printed matter in the fields of art and commercial printing as well as surface decoration of products technology. Co. manufactures IMD and IML, metallized paper, and heat transfer foils used for simultaneous molding and printing of plastic products and decorations for mobile phones, notebook PCs, automotive interiors and home appliances; and manufactures functional devices such as film based Touch Sensors "Fine Touch" used in tablet devices, smartphones, game consoles, industrial equipment and automotive. Co. also manufactures and sells its own brand products to medical institutions and provides marketing and sales promotion materials.

Nitto Denko Corp.

Nitto Denko and its subsidiaries are mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of industrial materials, electronic materials and functional materials. Co.'s principal products include junction materials, surface protective materials, sealing materials, packing materials, and machinery; liquid crystal display ("LCD")-related materials, semiconductor-related materials, printed circuits materials and electronic processing materials; and medical-related materials, macro-molecular separation membranes used in seawater desalination and engineering plastic materials.

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co Ltd

Shin-Etsu Chemical is mainly engaged in the manufacturing and sales of polyvinyl chloride and organic chemicals, silicon, functional chemicals, semiconductor silicon, electronic and functional materials, and others. Co.'s principal products include polyvinyl chloride, caustic soda products, methanol, chloromethane, silicon products, cellulose derivatives, silicon metal, poval (polyvinyl alcohol), synthetic pheromones, semiconductor silicon products, rare earth magnets, encapsulation materials, photoresists, photomask blanks, synthetic quartz products, epoxy molding compounds, pellicles, and resin processed products. Co. is also engaged in the export of plant equipment and others.

Showa Denko K.K.

Showa Denko is a chemical producer. Along with its affiliates Co. is mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of petrochemicals, chemicals, electronics, inorganic materials and aluminum. Co.'s principal products include olefin, such as ethylene and propylene, as well as polyethylene and plastic products; industrial gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon and hydrogen gas; hard discs, compound semiconductors, rare earth magnetic alloys, and materials for lithium-ion battery; ceramics, such as alumina, abrasives and refractories; and carbons, such as graphite electrodes; ingots, sheets, extruded products, foils, beverage cans, building products and others.

Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co. Ltd.

Sumitomo Osaka Cement is mainly engaged in the cement business. The Cement segment is involved in the manufacture and sale of cement products. The Mineral resources segment is engaged in the mining and sale of limestone, aggregate, limestone powder, and silica powder. The Cement-related products segment provides repairing and reinforcing products for concrete structures, and secondary products of concrete. The Optoelectronics segment provides optical communication components and optical measuring equipment. The Advanced materials segment manufactures fine ceramic products, functional coating films, filters for plasma display panels, nano-particle materials, and functional paints.

Taiheiyo Cement Corporation

Taiheiyo Cement and its affiliates are mainly engaged in cement related business. Co. operates in four business segments. The Cement segment is engaged in the manufacture and sale of cement and ready-mixed concrete. The Mineral Resources segment offers mined aggregates and limestone products. The Environmental segment is engaged in the recycling of waste materials such as used tires, waste plastics, paper sludge, among others. The Construction Materials and Civil Engineering segment is engaged in the manufacture and sale of secondary concrete products, construction materials and chemical products, as well as the engineering and construction business.

TDK Corporation

TDK is a manufacturer of recording media, ferrite products and recording device products, and a producer of inductor, ceramic capacitor, magnet, HDD head and other components. Co.'s principal business segments are passive components, sensor application products, magnetic application products, film application products and others. Co.'s principal products include ceramic capacitors, aluminum electrolytic capacitors, film capacitors, inductive devices, high-frequency components, piezoelectric materials and circuit protection components, sensors, HDD head suspension, recording devices, power supplies and magnets, and mechatronics.

Tosoh Corporation

Tosoh is engaged in the manufacture and sale of basic chemicals, petrochemicals, specialty products and fine chemicals. Petrochemicals segment offers olefins including ethylene, propylene, cumene and aromatic compounds; and polymers including polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene. Chlor-Alkali segment offers caustic soda, vinyl chloride monomer, calcium hypochlorite and sodium bicarbonate. Specialty segment offers organic chemicals including ethyleneamines, bromine, hydrobromic acid, flame retardants, nonaqueous solvents and chelating agents; battery materials and advanced materials; and bioscience products including chromatographic columns, separation media and clinical diagnostic systems.

Provider
Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd
Pelham Smithers Associates Ltd

Founded in 2009, Pelham Smithers Associates (PSA) provides market intelligence on Asian technology, focusing in particular on Japan. The industries covered by our team of specialists are: consumer electronics, telecomms, pharmaceuticals, internet, electronic parts and materials, automotive technology, retail and capital goods. 

PSA produces both company and sector reports. The focus of PSA’s research is to identify winners and losers as new technologies impact the top and bottom lines of corporations. Critical to our research is the clear explanation of how these new technologies work and how they impact companies and industries. 

The founding partners have worked closely together for twenty years and the team has more than doubled in size since 2012. 

Analysts
Joel Scheiman

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