October 28, 2009
Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical Co., Ltd.
Start-up of medical device sales subsidiary in Korea
Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical has established a subsidiary in Korea for the sale of dialyzers and therapeutic apheresis devices, with operation beginning on November 2, 2009. The new subsidiary, Asahi Kasei Medical Trading (Korea) Co., Ltd. (AMK), will obtain growing sales through the provision of enhanced service and support for customers in Korea.
Medical devices operations are marked as a focus for expansion in the Asahi Kasei Group's Growth Action - 2010 strategic management initiative. A range of measures are being taken for business expansion, both to raise production capacity and extend marketing capabilities. Japan's leading manufacturer of dialyzers, also called artificial kidneys, Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical supplies medical devices to over sixty countries. Its global network includes sales subsidiaries in the US, Europe, China, and Taiwan, and a plant in China for the assembly of polysulfone-membrane dialyzers. The high-growth region of Asia has recently become an increasingly important market for dialyzers and other medical products.
Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical has supplied dialyzers to the Korean market since the early 1980s. Korea is one of Asia's largest markets for dialyzers, with the number of dialysis patients estimated at some 50,000 and forecast to increase by around 8% per year. The start-up of AMK will enable enhanced service and support for distributors and users in Korea through the handling of not only dialyzers but also other high-quality supplies required for hemodialysis therapy and through reinforced marketing activity closely coordinated with local market needs.
Profile of Asahi Kasei Medical Trading (Korea) Co., Ltd.
| Location: | Seoul, Korea |
|---|---|
| President: | Taiichi Yoneda |
| Establishment: | July 17, 2008 |
| Paid-in capital: | KRW1 billion (≈¥80 million) |
| Shareholding: | 100% by Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical |
| Start-up: | November 2, 2009 |
| Products: | Dialyzers, therapeutic apheresis devices, related supplies |
Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical expanded capacity for polysulfone-membrane dialyzer assembly at its plant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, in June 2007, and completed construction of a new integrated spinning and assembly plant in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan, in November 2008, raising total dialyzer production capacity to 30 million modules per year. AMK complements local sales bases Asahi Kasei Medical America Inc., Asahi Kasei Medical Europe GmbH in Germany, Asahi Kasei Medical Trading (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. in China, and Asahi Kasei Medical Trading (Taiwan) Co., Ltd. as Asahi Kasei Kuraray Medical pursues its strategy for the global development of operations by heightening overseas marketing capability with local supply tailored to each market while advancing toward clear market leadership in Asia.
