Denka to Establish Life Science R&D Base in Biopolis in Singapore

Denka Co.,Ltd. — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:00:28 +0900

Denka to Establish Life Science R&D Base in Biopolis in Singapore
TOKYO, Aug. 1, 2016 /Kyodo JBN/ --
Denka to Establish Life Science R&D Base in Biopolis in Singapore
Denka Company Limited (hereinafter "Denka") announced on July 26 the establishment of Denka Life Innovation Research Private Limited (hereinafter "DLIR") in Biopolis, Singapore, with the aim of securing the Denka Group's first overseas R&D base specializing in the healthcare and life science field.

Acting on its policy of aiding in cutting-edge R&D activities, the Singaporean government established Biopolis, a complex designed to serve as a hub for vibrant biomedical research. Since its opening, there has been a successful push to recruit domestic and overseas research institutions and business corporations to set up facilities in the complex, and, at present, Biopolis is home to a large number of biomedical-related businesses' research centers in addition to a laboratory run by Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The setting is conducive to government-private collaboration with a focus on cutting-edge R&D. Denka itself has been engaged in ongoing joint research into such materials as functional resins and elastomers with A*STAR in the field of polymer science. When DLIR begins operations, Denka will launch a new collaborative project in the life science field.

In line with its strategy of focusing management resources on such growth fields as healthcare and life science, the Denka Group has stepped up its existing operations related to such products as vaccines, diagnostic reagents and macromolecular sodium hyaluronate preparations. The Group is now also looking to expand its scope of business to include anti-cancer drugs, genetic testing and health checkups. Against this backdrop, Denka has thus decided to secure the Group's second key life science R&D base after the Life Innovation Research Institute in Machida City, Tokyo. DLIR's location and setting are expected to help the company secure and nurture researchers capable of leading cutting-edge R&D projects that involve collaboration with peers from around the world. In this way, Denka will accelerate its initiatives to promote open innovation.

DLIR will mainly be in charge of product development related to diagnostic technologies for dengue fever, Zika fever and other tropical infectious diseases even as it takes on research into next-generation vaccines using the magnICON (R) (*) technology owned by Icon Genetics GmbH, a biopharmaceutical R&D company that became a Denka subsidiary in 2015.

Outline of Denka Life Innovation Research
- Company name: Denka Life Innovation Research Private Limited
- Ownership: Owned solely by Denka Chemicals Holdings Asia Pacific Private Limited
- Capital: USD2,000,000 or approximately JPY210 million (JPY105 = USD1.00)
- Location: 21 Biopolis Road, Nucleos South Tower Level 3, Singapore 138567
- Established: July 25, 2016
- Operational kickoff: February 2017 (scheduled)

(*) A technology to produce high molecular proteins such as antibodies and vaccine antigens by using plant-based genetic modification technology. magnICON (R) is also an innovative platform that enables the mass manufacturing of high-molecular proteins safely, at a low cost and in a short period, using traditional microbiological, insect or mammalian cell cultures. The technology has been highly evaluated by an external specialized institution for its competitiveness in terms of yield and production costs compared with other similar plant-based technologies.

About Denka Company Limited
President: Shinsuke Yoshitaka
Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Denka Announces Completion of Acquisition of DuPont's Chloroprene Rubber Business

Denka Co.,Ltd. — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 15:00:07 +0900

  TOKYO, Nov. 4, 2015/Kyodo JBN/--
Denka Company Limited

Denka Announces Completion of Acquisition of DuPont's Chloroprene Rubber Business

Denka Company Limited (hereinafter "Denka") announced on November 4 that on October 31, 2015, Denka Performance Elastomer LLC(hereinafter "DPE"), a joint venture Denka has established in the United States with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Mitsui"), completed procedures for the transfer of the chloroprene rubber business of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (hereinafter "DuPont") of the United States to DPE after obtaining the formal approval of relevant authorities.

As announced on the preceding news release titled "Announcement of Acquisition of Chloroprene Rubber Business from DuPont, U.S." (December 11, 2014), Denka, Mitsui and DuPont have entered into an agreement with regard to the acquisition of DuPont's chloroprene rubber business. Having obtained the aforementioned approval from the authorities of each country, the three entities completed procedures for the business acquisition in accordance with the agreement. DPE has thus become the manager of chloroprene rubber-related operations that DuPont divested, including a part of production facilities at the Pontchartrain Works site in La Place, Louisiana, the United States, effective November 1, 2015.

Denka has long been operating a chloroprene rubber production facility in its Omi Plant (Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan). We are now poised to deploy an even stronger supply structure with the second facility in North America, which will better position us to achieve greater customer satisfaction through the stable provision of high-quality chloroprene rubber.

This acquisition has been positioned as a key move in light of our policy of creating the most optimal production system based on the Denka100 management plan growth strategy. Using the acquisition as a springboard, we will endeavor to realize the plan's numerical targets at the earliest possible date.

The impact of the acquisition on Denka's consolidated business performance for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, will be minor.

Outline of Denka Performance Elastomer LLC
(1) Company name:   Denka Performance Elastomer LLC
(2) Location:              La Place, Louisiana, the United States
(3) Representative:    Koki Tabuchi (CEO & President)
(4) Capital:                US$62 million (as of October 31, 2015);
                                Approximately 7.4 billion Japanese yen (120 yen =US$1)

About Denka Company Limited
Company name:        Denka Company Limited
Representative:         Shinsuke Yoshitaka, President & CEO
headquarters:           Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Securities code:         4061 (the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange)

Source: Denka Company Limited

法人別リリース

Denka to Establish Life Science R&D Base in Biopolis in Singapore

Denka Announces Completion of Acquisition of DuPont's Chloroprene Rubber Business