Nitto Group Report 2017

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Top Message11Nitto Group Report 2017The Nitto Group has given birth to a number of products that help to reduce environmental impact, including the energy efciency-enhancing neodymium magnet and its membrane products that can be used to prevent environmental pollution. Also available from the Group are numerous products and services that simplify customers’ production processes, thereby eliminating resource and energy waste. We will accelerate our drive to develop technologies, products, and services that address environmental problems, which represent a threat faced by all of humanity.Meanwhile, in order to reduce the impact that our production activities have on the environment, we will focus on reducing CO2 and toluene emissions and waste in line with our new mid- and long-term environmental plan.Underpinning the Computerization and Advancements of Other TechnologiesLiquid crystal displays use a variety of materials delivered by the Nitto Group, including optical lms. Those materials have made displays thinner and larger and improved picture quality, thereby underpinning our information society. Among our many products, we maintain the leading share of polarizers, and our original ultra-thin polarizer has the potential to make displays more exible and usable for wearable devices. Meanwhile, our ELECRYSTA™ transparent conductive lm and other materials for touch panels play a part in the diffusion of smartphones and tablets and improvement of their functions.Going forward, organic electroluminescence displays are expected to replace LCDs as screens for television sets and smartphones. In anticipation of such a change, we have begun working on highly functional materials that will support such next-generation displays.It can be said that technology is progressing with each passing day, or even with each passing second. As the IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Articial Intelligence) are being introduced at an accelerated pace, the Nitto Group utilizes its multifaceted technologies to wholeheartedly create value that underpins its evolution.Contributing to Better Quality of LifeWith aging populations in developed countries and population explosions in emerging countries, the absolute numbers of physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals are seriously lacking throughout the globe. In light of this, the Nitto Group has also offered a variety of solutions in the life science eld by developing innovative dosing strategies that make use of its original technologies. From the late 1970s, we began working on transdermal drug delivery patches ahead of others in the world to establish technologies for synthesizing adhesives optimized for controlled release and designing safe and stable preparations. More recently, we have been developing the “Nitto PassPort® System,” which combines tape patch technology with technology for creating micropores on the surface of the skin. When these technologies are put to practical use, injections, intravenous drips, and other forms of drug administration that only medical professionals are currently allowed to perform will become simplied, thereby reducing the burdens placed not only on patients, but on physicians and nurses as well.The Nitto Group’s technology also makes itself felt in nucleic acid medicines, which hold great promise for treating intractable diseases. The development of a liver cirrhosis drug using nucleic acid, in particular, is expected to be accelerated since the signing of a license agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company of the United States last year.Meanwhile, as standards of living improve in emerging countries and developing countries, people are increasingly interested in enhanced comfort and hygiene. To cater to this growing need, the Nitto Group delivers tape materials for disposable diapers, including NITOFOLD™ folding tape, as well as its COLOCOLO® Series of cleaning tools, thus improving environmental hygiene and comfort in life.For Greater Wellbeing in SocietyAs the wave of globalization eliminates distances, people seek greater convenience and speed from transportation, which in turn gives rise to the need to ensure the safety of increasingly congested and complicated means of transportation.The Nitto Group’s automotive products meet these conicting needs by ensuring safe and comfortable travel while at the same time conserving the environment. NITOHARD reinforcing material, for example, is in wide demand to retain the strength of ever-lightening vehicle bodies. Meanwhile, AEROSEAL anti-corrosion tape for aircraft prevents corrosion on support structures under oorboards due to water condensation and offers easy maintenance, thereby helping to increase aircraft safety. These unique products offer great potential for broader applications to other transport equipment.We have also commenced the functional lm business for curtain airbags, which protect the driver and passengers of a vehicle in the event of a side impact crash. By breaking