Asahi Medical will construct a plant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang,
China for assembly of APS™ polysulfone membrane
dialyzers and a plant in the Okatomi district of Nobeoka,
Miyazaki, Japan for the spinning of polysulfone hollow-fiber
membranes. The new plants will bring a broad increase
in production capacity for APS™ dialyzers.
Essentials of dialyzer assembly plant in China
| Site: |
| |
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. |
| Groundbreaking schedule: |
| |
May 2004. |
| Lot area: |
| |
34 thousand m2. |
| Production capacity: |
| |
4 million modules/year. |
| Operational conformation: |
| |
Wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Medical. |
Essentials of hollow-fiber membrane spinning plant in Nobeoka
| Site: |
| |
Okatomi district, Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan (Former grounds of Asahi Kasei Rayon Plant). |
| Groundbreaking schedule: |
| |
January 2004. |
| Lot area: |
| |
13 thousand m2. |
| Production capacity: |
| |
Membranes for 4 million dialyzers/year. |
Scale of investment
¥5 billion total (¥2 billion for assembly plant, ¥3
billion for membrane plant).
Operational context
The market for dialyzers,
particularly polysulfone membrane dialyzers, is marked by sustained
robust growth as advances
in medical technology bring longer life expectancies and availability
of facilities for dialysis treatment continues to rise throughout
the world. Asahi Medical is Japan’s leading dialyzer
producer, with capacity for 10 million polysulfone membrane
dialyzers per year. The new plants will enable the company
to keep pace with rising demand over the short term.
The
two new plant sites comprise sufficient space to enable
significant future expansion, and will play a leading role
in Asahi Medical’s mid- to long-range plans to raise
capacity to 30 million modules/year. The plant in China,
the company’s first overseas production base, will
form an important element in the expansion of global operations
and heightened international competitiveness. The two new
plants will also incorporate advanced production technology
for enhanced productivity, and ongoing technological progress
will provide a key impetus in the development and growth
of operations.
The establishment of the two plants announced
today will entrench Asahi Medical’s position as Japan’s
leading dialyzer maker, and solidify its position as a world
leader in the field. To further improve the quality of life
available to dialysis patients, the company will continue
R&D and investments which will bring advances in product
quality and performance.
Corporate profile of Asahi Medical
| President: |
| |
Kenji Nakamae. |
| Establishment: |
| |
July 24, 1974. |
| Paid-in capital: |
| |
¥800 million, wholly
owned by Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation (Asahi Kasei
Pharma is wholly owned
by Asahi Kasei Corporation). |
| Headquarters: |
| |
9-1 Kanda Mitoshiro-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo,
Japan. |
| Production facilities: |
| |
Nobeoka Plant (spinning of hollow-fiber membranes for dialyzers), Oita Plant (assembly of dialyzers and other medical devices). |
| Employees: |
| |
1500 (as of June 30, 2003). |
| Sales: |
| |
¥34.5 billion (year
ended March 31, 2003). |
| Field of business: |
| |
Development, production, and sale of dialyzers,
leukocyte reduction filters for transfusion, plasmapheresis
products, and other medical devices. |
Dialyzer business overview
| No. of chronic dialysis patients (as of
December 31, 2002): |
| |
1 million worldwide (230 thousand in Japan). |
| Dialyzer market scale (2003 estimate): |
| |
100 million modules worldwide (34 million
in Japan). |
| Asahi Medical market share (internal estimate
for 2003): |
| |
35% share in Japan (rank: 1).
18% share worldwide (rank: 3). |
| Principal dialyzer manufacturers: |
| |
In Japan – Asahi Medical
Co., Ltd., Nipro Corporation, Fresenius-Kawasumi Co.,
Ltd., Toray
Medical Co., Ltd., Kuraray Medical Inc.
Overseas – Fresenius Medical Care AG (Germany),
Gambro AB (Sweden), Baxter Healthcare Corporation (US). |
|
