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SEKISUI History

1940

March 1947 Established Sekisui Sangyo Co., Ltd. in order to run a general plastic business
January 1948
Our company's first plant, the Nara Plant
Opened the Nara Plant
And, with automatic injection molding started the first plastic automatic injection molding business in Japan
January 1948 Changed the company name to Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.

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1950s

April 1950
Sekisui cellophane tape
Displayed trial product cellophane tape at the plastics exhibition
August 1951 Developed an "unbreakable telephone" using thermoplastic (Awarded the Industriay and Technology Agency Minister Award)
This product, manufactured with the 12 ounce injection molding machine first in japan, marked the start of the big growth of our injection molding business
August 1952
Eslon Pipe manufacture at the Kyoto plant
When the Kyoto plant opened, the monthly production amount was 500 kg.
Five years later, the monthly production was over 1000 metric tonnes and it had become a core product.
Opened the Kyoto Plant and started full scale production of "Eslon Pipe", a hard PVC pipe
March 1953 Became listed on the Osaka Securities Exchange
April 1954 Became listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
December 1955 Succeeded in molding injection of the PVC pipe fittings that played an important role in the popularization of "Eslon Pipe"
June 1956 Developed Japan's first plastic rain gutters ("Eslon Rain Gutters")
April 1957 Opened a new plant in Nara that became the largest plastic molding plant in Asia

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1960s

August 1960
Shiga Ritto Plant around 1962
Shiga Ritto Plant opened and started manufacture of PVC pipe and PVC building materials
November 1960 Shiga Minakuchi Plant opened and started manufacture of polyvinyl butyral and interlayer film
March 1962 Started the "Clean up our streets movement " as a campaign commemorating the company's 15th anniversary

The Sekisui "Poly-Pail" was launched to replace traditional garbage bins and greatly improved the effectiveness of garbage collection.
July 1962 Musashi Plant opened and began manufacture of plastic tape and PVC tape
January 1963 Started manufacture of "Sekisui Bath" the first FRP ( fiber-reinforced plastic) bathtubs manufactured in Japan
April 1963
Sekisui Plastics Corporation was the very first plant to be set up in the U.S. by a Japanese manufacturer.
Sekisui Plastics Corporation (SPC) opened in Pennsylvania, U.S., for the manufacture of expandable polystyrene paper
SPC was the very first plant to be set up in the U.S. by a Japanese manufacturer
March 1968 Polystyrene Foam "Softlon" began commercial distribution
Soft Sunoko,a soft non-slip bathroom mat were very popular at that time

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1970s

October 1970 Exhibited the "Sekisui Heim(Heim M1)" modular house at the International Good Living Show in Tokyo
March 1979
The medical project started in what used to be the Central Research Laboratory in 1979.
Started the medical project in the Central Research Laboratory
November 1979 Awarded the Deming Prize, the highest honor for quality management, including production, sales and service

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1980s

March 1982 Started sales of "Two-U Home", a wooden structured modular house in Sendai, and expanded nationwide from 1984
December 1983 Established SEKISUI AMERICA CORPORATION in the U.S.
1986
"SPR method", pipe rehabilitation method
Developed the "SPR method", pipe rehabilitation method

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1990s

September 1996 The company's capital exceeded 100 billion yen
March 1997 The 50th anniversary of the company's founding
March 1999 Started the midterm management plan "GS21"

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2000s

March 2000 Achieved The first zero emission plants (Shiga Minakuchi Plant, Kyushu Sekisui Industries, Sekisui Film Taga Plant)
March 2001 The Company Division Organization started. The housing, urban infrastructure and environmental products, and high-performance plastics divisions names changed to Housing Company, Urban Infrastructure and Environmental Products Company and High Performance Plastics Company
June 2002 Founded the "Sekisui Chemical Innovations Inspired by Nature Research Support Program "
October 2004 Started sales of the zero-utility cost house, "Grand To You" with the "2 x 6 Unit Construction Method"
April 2005 Established Sekisui Fuller Company, Ltd., as a joint venture for the adhesive business with H.B. Fuller Company (U.S.)
July 2006 Started full scale manufacture of the world's first "non-centrifugal vacuum blood collection tubes"
October 2006 Acquired Daiichi Pure Chemicals Co., Ltd.
March 2007 The "Global Children's Eco Summit" and the "Innovations Inspired by Nature - Junior Forum" were held as events for Sekisui's founding 60th anniversary
April 2008 Medical operations and Daiichi Pure Chemicals, Co., Ltd. were combined and SEKISUI MEDICAL CO., LTD. was established
May 2008 Acquired the Europe pipeline rehabilitation business company CPT and changed the company name to SEKISUI SPR EUROPE
August 2008 Acquired XENOTECH the American pharmacokinetics contract services business
April 2009 Establishment of the Sekisui Chemical Group vision
Formation of the new midterm management vision "GS21-SHINKA!"
July 2009 Acquired the polyvinyl alcohol-resin business from the American company Celanese Corporation and established SEKISUI SPECIALTY CHEMICALS AMERICA and SEKISUI SPECIALTY CHEMICALS EUROPE
September 2009 Established a joint venture production and sales company in Thailand for the first overseas advancement of the housing business


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2010s

February 2011 Acquired the diagnostics business of the U.S.- based pharmaceutical
Company Genzyme Corporation and established SEKISUI DIAGNOSTICS and related companies
April 2011 Launched the new Sekisui Heim next generation house "Smart Heim"
April 2011
"Shin Smart Heim" equipped with a built-in large capacity storage batteries
Total sales of over 100,000 houses with built-in Sekisui Heim solar energy generation systems
April 2011 Acquired performance film manufacturer Suzutora Corporation and changed the company name to SEKISUI NANO COAT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
July 2011 Established a joint venture company SEKISUI DLJM MOLDING in India for a vehicle components molding business
December 2011 Acquired the business rights to the pipe rehabilitation company RABMER HOLDING in Austria
December 2012 Acquired Mitsubishi Plastics' Piping Materials Operations
February 2013 The development and application of the "SPR method" for pipeline rehabilitation was awarded the Okochi Memorial Prize
March 2013 Newly completed Thai modular house factory boasts annual production capacity of 1,000 houses

New Thai factory

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