Research & Development At Asahi Kasei
The world is undergoing dramatic changes: The issues of resources and the environment are more important than ever. Technical and social evolutions, such as the development of electric vehicles and new mobility concepts, are also drastically changing the landscape. In order to keep pace with these changes, we as a company must also break new ground.
For this reason, the Asahi Kasei Group is pushing ahead with research and development in areas that will offer people worldwide a life in health and comfort.
Scroll down to see innovations of Asahi Kasei.
Local Development With Customers & Partners
Europe is the center of innovation for the global automotive industry. To actively drive the current evolution in the aumotive industry, Asahi Kasei established the first and only R&D Center outside of Japan in Dormagen, Germany, in 2017: The Asahi Kasei Europe R&D Center.
The Asahi Kasei Europe R&D Center is offering local technical service to its European customers in the fields of engineering plastics, synthetic rubber and performance coatings.
At the same time it is serving as the main driver for developing new businesses, product grades and applications for the European market. This is achieve by conducting joint research and development with local customers and partners.
Innovations By Asahi Kasei That Changed The World
Lithium-Ion Battery Prototype
Creator Of The Mobile And Connected World
The door to the modern, mobile world as we know it opened in 1983, when Asahi Kasei scientist Dr. Akira Yoshino developed the first functional prototype of a lithium-ion battery.
The commercialization of this technology as a small and lightweight rechargeable battery contributed greatly to the development of portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, video cameras, and portable music players. The lithium-ion battery is increasingly used in electric vehicles, helping to expand a new market.
This Way, Please!
Asahi Kasei S-cube Sensor Systems
Pedestrian navigation systems on smartphones rely on an electronic compass that tells you the direction you are facing and enables the map to rotate as you turn.
Ever since the launch of the world’s first 3-axis electronic compass equipped with a digital interface in the summer of 2003, Asahi Kasei has been widely recognized as the world’s No. 1 electronic compass manufacturer, maintaining a dominant market share.
Synthetic Rubber
S-SBR For Fuel-Efficient Tires
The adoption of fuel-efficient tires, or “eco tires,” is quickly becoming widespread. In many countries, tires are labeled based on a standard system of ranking performance aspects such as fuel efficiency (rolling resistance) and braking performance (wet grip). To be considered an “eco tire” generally requires a high rating for both fuel efficiency and braking performance.
As the world market leader of solution styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) for eco-tires, Asahi Kasei leveraged its experience in the fields of solution polymerization and functionalization technology and developed an S-SBR for tire treads with an improved silica dispersion, enabling a low rolling resistance without compromising the wet grip. In addition, the newest grades feature a high wear resistance, leading to a reduced generation of microplastics and an improved longtime durability of the tire.
2022 Asahi Kasei acquired the ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon) PLUS Certification for S-SBR and more products. Read more about this certification.
ZOLL AED Plus™
When Every Second Counts
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can strike at any time. Without AEDs and CPR, the prospects for survival are bleak. Fewer than 10% of SCA victims typically survive, but studies show that 30% to 50% would likely survive if CPR and AEDs were used within five minutes of collapse.
High-quality CPR is crucial to any rescue attempt, but many lay rescuers have little experience with CPR. The ZOLL AED Plus™ provides real-time CPR feedback on compression depth and rate to help rescuers consistently deliver better CPR.The AED Plus™ is just one of ZOLL’s products in the “Chain of Survival,” a sequence of critical actions to rescue victims of cardiac arrest.
The Zoll Medical Corporation is part of the Asahi Kasei Group since 2012.