Under Kuraray's Chief Technology Officer, who was newly appointed during fiscal 2007 and tasked with controlling development and technology functions, the New Business Development Division is promoting efficient and effective R&D on a Groupwide scale. By centrally controlling the Company's technology and management resources and selectively allocating R&D resources to critical projects, the division is accelerating "selection and concentration" efforts toward the creation of new businesses.
The division stringently adheres to its principle of creating new businesses in the selection of project themes while facilitating speedier new business creation through the proactive utilization of external resources.
New Business Development Division
Groupwide R&D led by the division involves Kurashiki Research Center, Tsukuba Research Center, the Kurashiki Plant Membrane Production and Development Department, the Saijo Plant GEL Production and Development Department, the Saijo Plant E&E Production and Development Department and Kuraray Research & Technical Center USA. The division has put in place an R&D structure that incorporates the Company's marketing functions in order to stimulate new business creation, particularly in the fields of optical applications, electronics components and environmental solutions. At the same time, the division is vigorously searching out potential project themes and reinforcing Kuraray's core technologies. The Planning and Administration Department and the Intellectual Property Department are working to identify and develop next-generation project themes that require cross-divisional collaboration within the Kuraray Group.
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Technology Division
The development of production techniques is indispensable to the provision of unique and worthwhile products worldwide. For this reason, development activities are being promoted throughout the Kuraray Group, conducted at the Technology Development Center working in coordination with various laboratory and plant facilities.
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