History of Nitto

• 1918 - 1945

  Laying the Groundwork
  - Laying the groundwork for starting insulation business at Osaki, Tokyo

  Nitto Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. was formed in Osaki, Tokyo, on October 25, 1918. It was a time when heavy industries including iron & steel and shipbuilding were developing dramatically, following light industries such as cotton spinning.
  Electricity rapidly became widespread as one of the infrastructures essential for industrial development.
  Back then, electrical equipment and machinery, which use electricity, were mostly imported from the West. In the aftermath of World War I, Japan needed to embark on domestic production of such equipment and machinery as quickly as possible.
  Nitto Electric Industrial was formed to get involved in the production of electrical insulating materials, important components of electrical equipment and machinery, and of which domestic production was an urgent task as well.

  

  Main products:

  • Electrical Insulating Varnish Cloth - Insulating sheet for transformers. One of the earliest products developed and sold
  • Linotape - Insulating sheet made by impregnating base material (cloth) with varnish resin
  • Electrical Insulating Varnish

• 1946 - 1960

  The Second Beginning
  - Starting Over at Ibaraki, Osaka, after WW II

  After the plant in Osaki, Tokyo, was destroyed by air raids, we restarted operation in Ibaraki, Osaka. In 1946 we ventured into the domain of tapes by beginning volume production of Black Tapes, which are insulating tapes for electric wires. During this period, we also began offering final consumer goods such as batteries and tape recorders under the brand name “Maxell”. The high-quality products contributed to growth in sales. Nitto’s company credo, “Each product, each roll of tape is made with Nitto’s exhaustive efforts. Everything we do is for dedication to our customers.”, was introduced in 1956. This policy still lives solidly in our current brand slogan, “Innovation for Customers”. In 1957, Nitto’s unique marketing approach that holds up to this day, Sanshin Katsudo* (Three-New Activities) began.

  * Sanshin Katsudo* (Three-New Activities)
  Nitto’s unique approach in marketing, pursuing three new elements; exploring new usage, creating new products, and stimulating new demands. By staying one step ahead in the market, Nitto provides products that satisfy the needs of all customers in all kinds of industries.
  For example, the usage of Vinyl Tapes expanded from not only insulating but also for purposes related to anti-corrosion and agriculture based on vinyl’s mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, weatherability and chemical resistance.

  

  Main products

  • Black Tape - Ventured into tape business by mass producing insulating tapes for electric wires.
  • Vinyl Tape - Nitto focused on soft vinyl that had appeared in the rapidly expanding plastic market and used it to develop electrical insulating tapes, following Black Tapes.
  • Maxell batteries and tape recorders - Manufactured and sold final consumer products including batteries and tape recorders under the brand name Maxell. Maxell became a high-quality and profitable line of products.

• 1961 - 1973

  Commencing Business in the Production of Industrial Materials
  - Separating off Maxell

  The 1960s marked a significant period for Nitto.
  Amid Japan’s rapid economic growth, Nitto decided to advance into the business domain of industrial tapes, in which a comprehensive expansion was expected. In 1961 we separated off Maxell, the department dealing with consumer goods, and took a leap forward as an industrial materials manufacturer.
  In 1962, Toyohashi Plant, our main production site of adhesive tapes in Japan up to this date, began operation. Kanto Plant also began operation in 1967. In 1968 Nitto Denko America, Inc. was formed. In 1969 Nitto Denko Taiwan was formed as the first overseas manufacturing site. Advancing into the overseas market and establishing the foundation for our current business, Nitto also celebrated the company’s 50th anniversary in 1968.

  

  Sanshin Katsudo enabled our products to be applied in various technologies and usages. Sales of industrial tapes showed strong growth.

  
  Main products:

  • Double Sided Tape
  • Surface Protective Sheet SPV^® - Used for surface protection in processing metal (stainless steel).
  • Fluoroplastic Tape NITOFLON^® - Used for insulating high-temperature parts such as household electrical appliances and railway vehicle equipment.
  • Semiconductor Sealing Epoxy Resin - Integrated Circuit (IC) element sealing resin

• 1974 - 1988

  Diversification of Business and Globalization
  - Advancement into the field of medical care and electronics, commencement of overseas operation, acceleration of M&A

  In the aftermath of the oil crisis in 1973, we drove diversification of business to fortify the company with enough resources to survive economic fluctuations. We began offering polarizing films and transparent conductive films for use in electronics. We also gave birth to various products related to medical care and membrane business.
  COLOCOLO^®, the now popularly used floor cleaner was also born during this period.
  In 1974 Nitto Belgium N.V., a production subsidiary in Europe, was formed. It not only played a significant role as our overseas production site but has also grown into an operation receiving multiple awards for outstanding companies from the government of Belgium.
  In 1987, Nitto acquired Hydranautics in the U.S. to implement membrane business on a global level. It was the first case of acquisition of an overseas-based corporation.
  In 1988, we celebrated our 70th anniversary and changed the company name to Nitto Denko Corp.

  

  Main products:

  • Adhesive Polarizing Film - Started out by applying adhesive to polarizing films provided by the customers. Convinced about the potential demand for this technology, we embarked on self-development of polarizing films.
  • ELECRYSTA^™ - Transparent conductive film that acts as a switch for touch panels. Became used in smartphones and tablets eventually.
  • Transdermal Patches - Patches that allows medication to be absorbed through the skin
  • Reverse-osmosis Membrane - Applied the Reverse Osmosis principle for membrane separation. Used for wide variety of purposes including desalination of sea water, producing concentrated milk and juice, recycling drain water and producing ultrapure water.
  • COLOCOLO^® - The widely used long-selling floor cleaner was born in 1983. The current line-up includes wider variety of products including fingerprint cleaners for smartphones, and lint cleaners for clothes.

• 1989 - 2007

  Setting up Business Units / Implementation of Global Niche Top^™ Strategy
  - Establishing business foundation for sustained growth

  Business units have been set up in 1989 to go back to the basics of serving customers and to respond speedily to the dynamic changes in the market. In addition, we began implementing the Global Niche Top^™ strategy in 1996, aiming to achieve top share by determining markets with high growth potential and applying our unique differentiation technology to niche areas.
  Our effort was not limited to the offering of products. We generated Roll to Panel^®, a business model in which we bring in polarizing films to the customers’ production process and cut the films, conduct inspection, and laminate glasses on site. Such initiative by Nitto offers new values to customers including productivity improvement, reduction of packing materials, improved yield rate of polarizing films, and manpower saving.

  

  Main products:

  • High Brightness Polarizing Film - Improves the brightness of liquid crystal displays (LCD) by 20 to 30% when placed on PCs of cell phones.
  • REVALPHA^™ - Thermal release sheet used in electronic parts production. Sticks firmly and can be removed simply by heating.
  • TEMISH^® - Microfilter (fluoroplastic porous membrane) used for consumer electronics, household electrical appliances and automobile lamps to shut out water and dust and to allow permeation of clean air.
  • Yu-Ki Ban^™(known as Xtrata^™ in the US and Europe) - Surgical tape for people with sensitive skin.

• 2008 -

  Bringing New Values Based on our Slogan “Innovation for Customers”
  - Further business reform to offer healthy and comfortable life to people

  The collapse of Lehman Brothers that happened in 2008 cast a shadow over countless businesses and Nitto was not an exception. But we were able to recover in a short time by responding speedily to the changes in the business environment and with our unique management methods which we call Mu/Gen/Dai* and Kurumaza (A group discussion to come up with ideas or solve problems). We have achieved large increase in profit since then.
  In 2013 we renewed our brand logo to “Nitto” from the previous “Nitto Denko” written in kanji characters. In 2014 we established “Innovation for Customers” as our brand slogan. Since 2017, we have been the title sponsor of Nitto ATP Finals, the year-end finale of the men’s professional tennis season.
  In the products realm, the development of ultra-thin polarizing films, much thinner than the previous films and with low shrinkage, has enabled production of thinner and more flexible displays.
  Nitto celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2018. Towards the next 100 years, we hope to make people’s lives healthier and more comfortable all around the world
  

  *Mu/Gen/Dai
  Nitto’s growth plan that centers around substantial reform of cost structure from three points of view, Mu (to eliminate), Gen (to reduce), and Dai (to substitute).

  

  Main products / future technologies

  • Ultra-thin Polarizing Film - Much thinner than the previous films and with low shrinkage, the film enables production of thinner and more flexible displays.
  • Molecular Targeting DDS (Drug Delivery System) - Targets specific molecules and delivers drugs effectively only to parts of the body that need the medication. The technology is currently under clinical trial. We aim to provide highly effective medication with low side effects to patients who have diseases that have been considered difficult to be treated, such as cirrhosis, pulmonary fibrosis and cancer.
  • Plastic Optical Cable - To respond to the high-speed, large-capacity transmission of the next generation, we will develop and mass produce transmission cables capable of transmitting large volume of information speedily, with the level of definition as high as 8K or more.