--First Acquisition by a Japanese Manufacturer--

The Urban Infrastructure and Environmental Products Company (President: Hajime Kubo) of Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. (President: Teiji Koge, hereinafter called "Sekisui Chemical") have on this occasion acquired certification for "ISO55001", which is an international standard for asset management systems.

This is the first case of asset management systems certifications being acquired by a Japanese manufacturer.

1. Background

The total length of sewage pipes running the length and breadth of Japan is approx. 450 thousand km, of which, worn pipelines that have exceeded their 50 years of service life exceed 10 thousand km, and the actual situation is that these will rapidly increase in future. The suitable management of this immense pipeline stock and the ongoing maintenance of sewage pipes while reducing overall costs has become an urgent issue.

In the midst of this situation, ISO55001, which is an international standard for asset management systems, came into force in January 2014. In Japan, MLIT recommends acquiring certification by publishing a draft user guide to applying ISO55001 in the field of sewage pipes, and by implementing trial certification, etc. As of the end of March 2015, 11 organizations outside Japan and five within Japan have acquired certification, and future expansion both in Japan and elsewhere is predicted.

2. About ISO55001

ISO55001 contains asset management elements to identify costs and risks and consider a balance between the two, and management system elements for configuring and implementing processes (division of roles and work procedures) to surely and certainly manifest the required functions and performances of assets*.

These are regulated as the requirements for the implementation of planned and efficient asset management including not only hard assets but also the management of funds, personnel, and information, etc., with regard to social infrastructure such as drinking water and sewage pipes, transport, energy, and communications, etc., and social facilities such as buildings and factories, etc.

*Asset: Items with latent or actual value for an organization (Value may be tangible/intangible products, or financial/non-financial products.)

3. Sekisui Chemical's Certification Acquisition

Currently, Sekisui Chemical aims to contribute to the stock management market from worn infrastructure to buildings through the new concept of an "Engineering Manufacturer" that supplies "repair, rehabilitation, and renewal" using value chain business as its weapon. In February 2014, joint businesses that represent Sekisui Chemical were entrusted with and began working on the "Kawachinagano City Sewer Pipeline Network Comprehensive Management Contract".

On this occasion, ISO55001 certification was acquired by a Japanese manufacturer for the first time so that work within Kawachinagano is at an authenticated site. The certifying body is the Japan Audit and Certification Organization for Environment and Quality (JACO).

Reference:  Japan Audit and Certification Organization for Environment and Quality (JACO) website(Japanese)

Certification Outline

4. Future Developments

Acquiring this certification aims to configure an even higher level of management prowess, and Sekisui Chemical will manifest its role as an "engineering manufacturer" in a stock market that will continue to increase further and further in the future, and will actively promote involvement in public/private joint ventures, starting with comprehensive business.