The path to achieving mass-production Moving with the times A material with endless possibilities

A material with endless possibilities

Plastics started with phenolic resins, but from there a huge number of derivative products were developed—melamine resin, polyester, and polyvinyl chloride, to name a few—thus opening up new fields of industry. Indeed, plastics have constantly surprised people over the years with their suitability for a broad range of products, wide-ranging physical properties, and flexibility to be molded into different colors and shapes that, given the raw material plastics are made from, people simply could not have imagined before Bakelite. Sumitomo Bakelite is the true pioneer of Japan’s plastics industry, and it continues to lead the way in developing new functions for plastic. Preparation of this article was overseen and photos provided by the Sumitomo Shi-ryo-kan and Sumitomo Bakelite. CORPORATE DATA As of March 31, 2003 FOUNDED 1911 INCORPORATED 1932 PAID-IN CAPITAL 27,055 billion NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 5,880(consolidated), 2,406(non-consolidated) HISTORIC MILESTONES Nippon Bakelite Co., Ltd. 1932 Established as Nippon Bakelite Co., Ltd., took over the phenolic resin business of Sankyo Co., Ltd. 1949 Listed on the Tokyo and the Osaka Stock Exchanges Sumitomo Kakozai Industries Ltd. 1938 Gosei Jushi Kogyosho, established 1944 Gosei Jushi Kogyosho renamed Sumitomo Kakozai Industries Ltd. 1950 Sumitomo Kakozai Industries, listed on the Osaka Stock Exchange Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. 1955 Nippon Bakelite Co., Ltd. and Sumitomo Kakozai Industries Ltd., merged to form Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. 1962 Central Research Laboratory (currently the Fundamental Research Laboratory) completed 1962 Shizuoka Plant opened 1963 Established Sumitomo Durez Co., Ltd., in a joint venture with Hooker Chemical Corp. of the United States 1981 Established CMK Singapore (Pte.) Ltd. in a joint venture with Chuo Meiban Kogyo Co., Ltd. (now CMK Corporation) 1984 Utsunomiya Plant opened 1989 Invested in SumiDurez Singapore Pte. Ltd. 1989 Sets up plant at Sumitomo Bakelite Singapore Pte. Ltd. 1990 Established SNC Industrial Laminates Sdn. Bhd. in a joint venture with CMK Corporation 1991 Opened Kobe Fundamental Research Laboratory 1994 Established Akita Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd., with the merger of SFC Co., Ltd. and three Akita-region subsidiaries (Akita Bakelite and others) 1995 1995 Established Sumitomo Bakelite (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. 1998 Established Sumitomo Bakelite (Taiwan) Co., Ltd. 2000 Absorbed Bakelite Shoji Co., Ltd., a subsidiary, through merger 2001 Purchased the phenolic resin business operations of Occidental Chemical Corporation 2001 Absorbed Sumitomo Durez Co., Ltd., a subsidiary, through merger 2001 Purchased the electronic materials research department of Goodrich Corporation in the United States 2001 Established Decolanitto Co., Ltd. in a joint venture with Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd. 2002 Established SB Durez Holding, Inc., a holding company in the North America region

Flexible printed circuits Circuits are formed on the surface of polyimide film. The flexibility of form allows greater freedom in product design as well as the development of smaller products. Melamine resin decorative laminates Sumitomo Bakelite’s melamine resin decorative laminates are available in many colors and patterns, have excellent surface properties, and are widely used for counters, tables, kitchen panels, and floors.