History

Although the celluloid industry boomed during World War I, the postwar depression left the industry battered from excessive competition arising from plummeting global demand for celluloid. With the realization that the Japanese celluloid industry could grow only through collaboration, eight celluloid companies decided to merge. The industry's reorganization thus led to the birth of our pioneering company (with 48% of the capital being provided by Sakai Celluloid, 21% by Japan Celluloid Artificial, 16% by Osaka Sen'i Kogyo, 7% by Tokyo Celluloid, and 8% by four other companies: Mikuni Celluloid, Notoya Celluloid, Toyo Celluloid, and Togawa Celluloid).

In July 1955, Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry announced development measures for the petrochemical industry. In response to the rise of the petrochemical industry, the Company launched petrochemical operations. In 1961, we established Dainippon Kasei Co., Ltd. (currently the Ohtake Plant) and initiated production of acetic acid, butanol, methoxybutanol, and acetate esters, later expanding our product line further. At the time the plant was established, all our employees banded together to overcome early struggles under the slogan "All in the same boat." Their legendary efforts to construct the plant became known as "The Ohtake Story."

In 1960, Celanese Corporation developed a polyacetal resin using a proprietary copolymerization method and announced its commercialization. In 1961, we considered creating a joint venture for the production of polyacetal resin, and in 1964 we established Polyplastics Co., Ltd. as this joint venture. This polyacetal resin was given the trade name of DURACON^® to represent its qualities as a "durable hard resin."

Acetic acid production is the cornerstone of our cellulose and organic chemicals businesses. Commercialization of acetic acid made with the methanol carbonylation process in response to the introduction of C1 chemistry became a national project following the oil crisis. It also helped to solve the critical issues of strengthened cost competitiveness and stability of supply; moreover, it represented an initiative with the promise of reversing the company's fortunes. At that time, we had introduced the production technology from the Monsanto Company (U.S.A.) utilizing the methanol carbonylation process, a state-of-the-art manufacturing method that resulted in the development of the industry's leading acetic acid plant within a relatively brief 22 months. At the time of its completion, the plant had an annual production capacity of 150,000 tons. Production capacity was gradually increased, however, to the point where the plant's capacity now exceeds 400,000 tons per year, thus creating the foundation underpinning Daicel's various products and businesses.

Artificially synthesized chemicals have two molecules, D bodies and L bodies, which are related to optical isomers. These two molecules have the same chemical properties but, as pharmaceuticals, they have different physiological effects, so some may trigger undesirable side effects. After the impact of the troubling Thalidomide scandal over a 10-year span beginning in 1963, interest in resolution technology increased. At that time, Assistant Professor Yoshio Okamoto of the School of Engineering Science, Osaka University (currently a distinguished professor at Nagoya University) discovered that optically active polymethacrylate triphenylmethyl and the filler that carries it on silica gel have an excellent optical isomer resolution function. Daicel took advantage of this invention and succeeded in commercializing the development of chiral columns with an optical isomer resolution function. Today, this product is used by researchers the world over as an essential part of research and development, manufacturing, and quality assurance of chiral pharmaceuticals.

In 1967, Eaton, Yale, and Towne, Inc. (U.S.A.) introduced the airbag system as a lifesaving device in motor vehicle collisions. In 1969, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under the U.S. Department of Transportation introduced a law mandating that all passenger vehicles be equipped with airbags. This sparked a full-scale research and development effort to achieve practical use of airbags. Our Company undertook the research and development of airbag systems beginning in the mid-1970s, and in 1988, we began supplying mass production equipment for inflators. From 2000 onwards, we began establishing production and sales bases in the U.S.A., Thailand, Poland, China and India, thus realizing our global supply system.

In the past, the "Central Research Center" consisted of the Corporate Research Center, which was responsible for creating new businesses and research on elemental technologies, and the R&D departments of each business company, which were responsible for developing new products and reducing costs in existing business areas. Both had independent offices. Likewise, in the Himeji Technology Head Office, independent offices were provided for the Production Engineering Head Office responsible for production innovation the Daicel Way and process innovation; the Responsible Care Office charged with promoting environmental protection and safety assurance of our Group; and the Engineering Center responsible for plant construction and maintenance. By consolidating and integrating the R&D, production technology, engineering, environmental and safety, and other technical departments into a single location, we are accelerating new business development, speeding up research on new products and innovative process technologies, and focusing on development of high-efficiency mass production facilities.