Sumitomo Riko is in the business of turning advanced “Polymer Materials Technology” and “Comprehensive Evaluation Technology” into high-performance materials and high-value-added products. Now, the company has given the showroom of its main R&D hub, the Technopia Technical Research Laboratory, a complete makeover.
The materials display is visually striking. On the table to the left, visitors can explore the properties of various materials.
For example, placing bottles of natural rubber and carbon black on the table reveals how combining them enhances conductivity,
oil resistance, and abrasion resistance.
The Technopia Technical Research Laboratory consists of two buildings, where researchers develop new materials and apply them to create new products. The showroom welcomes visitors ranging from domestic and international customers and suppliers to representatives of local governments and university students exploring career opportunities.
A typical contemporary car contains around 40 different kinds of anti-vibration rubber—and Sumitomo Riko holds the top share of the global market* in this field. The company develops high-value-added products in four fields: Mobility (including Automotive), Infrastructure & Housing Environment, Electronics, and Healthcare. In the autumn of 2024, it carried out a full renovation—its first in 16 years—of the showroom at the Technopia Technical Research Laboratory, its R&D hub.
The showroom is designed as a space for “co-creation,” where new value can be created together with stakeholders. It’s divided into four zones: an introduction to material compounding technology, hands-on displays of technical features, a product showcase, and a co-creation area. I was first taken to the material compounding section. There, inside a large glass case, stood a striking display of more than 400 bottles—all filled with raw materials. I was told that in total, the company works with more than 1,000 different materials on site, and when you consider all the possible combinations, the number is virtually limitless. It’s by blending these materials that Sumitomo Riko creates the base substances for its products.
“We call our compounding process a ‘recipe,’ says Mr. Norihito Kimura, Deputy General Manager of the Research and Development Headquarters of Sumitomo Riko. “Just like in cooking, the final result can change depending on tiny adjustments—how much of each ingredient you use, how you mix them, the temperatures and time. The same goes for our materials: different combinations bring out different properties. That’s the real thrill of the work for us.”
Next, the hands-on technology zone. Sumitomo Riko conducts research using a range of polymer material technologies to control sound and vibration, fluids, heat, and electrical properties. In this area, visitors can get a feel for those technologies by interacting with actual products. One example is a damper used in seismic control systems that help reduce damage to houses during earthquakes. The damper is mounted diagonally across a wooden frame and contains special viscoelastic rubber that absorbs vibrations. To demonstrate the rubber’s properties, there’s a simple but striking experiment: two rubber balls, identical in appearance, are dropped from the same height. One bounces high, the other hardly bounces at all. It’s a clear and immediate way to understand the shock-absorbing property of the rubber. Right next it is a display comparing different types of sheeting. Drop water on one, and it leaves a visible streak. Drop it on another one, and the water beads up and rolls off so effectively that you might not even notice it unless you look closely. That’s fluid control technology in action. The same technology is used in the rubber materials for industrial hoses—like those used at construction and civil engineering sites. These hoses carry things like soil, sand, or gasoline, and they have to do so smoothly and efficiently, without leaks or energy loss through microscopic gaps. There are more hands-on exhibits: a window film that shields or insulates against heat, and an ultra-thin sheet that dramatically reduces noise—an example of sound control technology you can actually touch and try for yourself.
Moving into the product zone, the first thing that hits you is the sheer variety. The performance demanded of materials differs markedly depending on the field—automotive, rail, housing, office automation equipment, and more. Take anti-vibration rubber for rolling stock, for instance: It’s been adopted not only for Japan’s Shinkansen but also by railway operators around the world. These rubber parts have to support the weight of the train while soaking up vibration—and they have got to be tough enough to handle extreme conditions. There’s also something called MIF, a heat dissipation and sound reducing material that encapsulates motors. The foam not only absorbs and blocks sound, but also helps dissipate heat. You’ll even find prototypes of future products that go beyond Sumitomo Riko’s current business domains. Ever since it was founded in 1929, the company has supported the growth of the auto industry through its anti-vibration rubber and hose technologies. But now the world is moving on from gasoline engine vehicles. “With the shift to electric vehicles, both the nature of vibration and the performance demanded of parts are changing,” says Mr. Hiroki Sugiura, General Manager of the Advanced Systems R&D Center. “We’re responding by sharpening our existing technologies—things like resin hoses and cooling pipes—while also exploring new fields of development, with our younger engineers taking the lead.” The driver monitoring system is a seat-mounted sensing device that estimates vital signs from pressure on the seat—even while the vehicle is in motion and subject to vibration. It’s currently under development for practical use as a way to detect early signs of drowsiness or fatigue based on biometric data. The biomimetic system is designed to assess the efficacy and safety of pharmaceuticals. It draws on technologies such as fluid transport, sealing, and microfabrication, and is attracting attention as a potential alternative to animal testing from the standpoint of animal protection. Also on display that day was a golf swing visualization system. By combining an AI camera with a sensor mat, the system makes it possible to track posture, center-of-gravity shifts, and instability in real time as you swing a club. Commercialization is currently underway.
The co-creation area was set up as a space for sparking new development—a place where customers can learn about Sumitomo Riko’s materials and technologies, and the company can learn about their challenges. The aim is to explore what they can create together. The walls are entirely writable, functioning as whiteboards to support lively discussion and idea-sharing.
“I cook a lot at home and while following a recipe I sometimes catch myself referring to cooking as ‘compounding’ by mistake,” Mr. Sugiura says with a laugh. Curiosity is prized at Sumitomo Riko. Thanks to the decades of R&D and analysis by their many predecessors, who built up a vast library of such “recipes,” Sumitomo Riko is now able to offer a wide range of materials and analytical technologies to meet the needs of a new era. I am eager to see how the exhibition evolves as it’s updated over time.
The Technopia building, which houses the Research Institute, was completed in 2008 across the road from the Komaki Head Office. Linking the two is a pedestrian overpass called the Utazu Mirai Bridge. Sumitomo Riko built the bridge and donated it to the city so employees and local residents could cross safely and with ease. The name “Utazu” comes from the areas historical roots—it’s said to date back to the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584. With its natural stone and brick textures and gentle slope, the bridge seems thoughtfully designed not just for practical use, but also with consideration for the people and the surrounding townscape.
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