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AsahiKASEI
Fibers & Textiles
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Applications

Wipes for Professional Use

Right for any specialization, the versatile regenerated
cellulose continuous-filament nonwoven.

Achieving the Highest Standards for Maintaining Pure, Clean Environments.

Industrial, laboratory and medical environments today must meet ever-higher standards for clean, lint- and contaminant-free, sustainably disposed wipe materials. Bemcot™ is a derivative of Bemliese™ that delivers on all counts, further adding such properties as high purity and absorbency, high heat and chemical resistance, superior anti-static capability and biodegradability. Truly a versatile and handy tool for every cleanroom and similar environment.

The Bemliese™ Advantages in This Area

Low lint means lower contamination risk
High liquid absorption and retention
High resistance to solvents
High purity
High smoothness/low friction makes it gentle on the skin
Environmentally friendly for sustainable disposal

Dry

Dry wipes are supplied unmoistened and can be used as is or a liquid can be added by the user depending on the task. Wipes can be precut and packaged to user-convenient shapes, sizes and quantities.

Success StoryVersatility for both specialized and general use

Bemliese™ is a reliable partner in maintaining the demanding standards for sanitary, clean environments in medical, manufacturing and laboratory facilities. The following are some representative applications to wipe products.

Success Story | Vol.1

Bemcot™

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Who

In the course of a brainstorming session “once upon a time,” the Bemliese™ development team became aware that cotton gauze was being used in the manufacturing process for electronic parts. This spurred our development of industrial wipes, and marked the start of our partnership with one of Japan’s oldest (dating back nearly four centuries) and renowned producers of functional nonwoven products for industrial, medical and consumer use.

What

At the time of this initiative, the clean rooms for electronics parts were using wipes made of textile waste or paper, or medical cotton gauze. Compared to these wipes, Bemcot™ wipes are made from Bemliese™ and have superior low-lint properties. This aspect was prominently featured and led to immediate sales expansion. Semiconductors are produced in clean room environments that cannot tolerate lint, making the use of wipes from textile waste or paper problematic. At that point, Bemcot™ nonwoven wipes with the ability to limit dust/lint contamination were introduced, and has continued to grow in step with the advancement of the top semiconductor manufacturers in Japan as well as international market.

Why Bemliese™?

With the manufacturing circumstances noted above, Bemliese™ is an ideal choice because of its low dust/lint level, high absorbency, low impurities, minimal release of harmful gases if incinerated and other superior properties. These attributes set Bemcot™ apart and allowed it to become the pioneering brand of dedicated wipes for clean room environments.

The Challenge We Welcomed

In recent years with the rise of competing products, we have adjusted our sales strategy to implement joint sales with outside sales representatives. Furthermore, we are looking beyond the electronic parts segment to explore new sales opportunities and are conducting market research on a global scale.

Success Story | Vol.2

Endoscope wipes

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Who

This product is the result of cooperative engagement among healthcare workers, the sanitary material manufacturer that is the authorized sales representative for Haize Gauze, the original gauze manufacturer and Asahi Kasei. It all started with a full immersion into the demanding cleaning specifications required by the specialists who guide infection prevention in hospitals, to help define the appropriate and efficient cleaning tools they need.

What

Endoscopes are precision instruments that are in contact with mucous membranes. Despite that, at the time of this product’s development there were no unified protocols for the post-use cleaning of endoscopes and each medical institution applied their individually developed cleaning protocols. Endoscope manufacturers recommended the use of dedicated fully automatic cleaning equipment, but with over an hour required to clean just one endoscope, medical institutions predominantly adopted their own simplified methods. As a result, the surface of the scope was simply wiped down with alcohol before the next examination, recycled gauze or cotton towels were used, multiple scopes were being wiped with the same sheet, and instead of cleaning after each use, the scopes were mass cleaned after examination hours had finished. The need to enlighten the endoscopy community with the superiority of endoscope wipes made with Bemliese™ used in conjunction with the appropriate cleaning methods was clear. We conducted nationwide infection management lectures with endoscopists to demonstrate proper cleaning of their equipment.

Why Bemliese™?

Because Bemliese™ has high absorbency and minimal fiber loss and absorbs the cleaning fluid well, no lint is left behind, and thus is an ideal material for an endoscope cleaning cloth. The interior of the endoscope is hollow, so that if material with a high lint content is applied, the lint residue accumulates during wiping. The lint residue is organic, becoming a nutrient source for bacteria and viruses and creating a breeding environment for them. Moreover, this could lead to malfunctions of the costly instruments.

The Challenge We Welcomed

With the cooperation of nurse practitioners and hospitals, Asahi Kasei produced a manual on cleaning procedures. We promoted this directly to medical facilities and conducted nationwide lecture programs for nurse practitioners where product information was disseminated. Subsequently, the Japan Endoscope Association’s Endoscope Disinfection Methodology Guidelines 2003 was revised to reflect nearly completely the content of our lecture program. Currently, many hospitals are using this endoscope wipe.

High Function Across Wide Industrial Categories and Processes

General industrial wipes

Endoscope wipes

Food processing plant wipes

Roll wipes

Aviation wipes

And more

Bemcot™ (industrial wipes)

This link is for specific inquiries about Bemcot™.

Bemcot™ (industrial wipes)

Wet

Wet wipes are supplied in a wet/hydrated state or pre-moistened with a liquid per user specifications. As with dry wipes, wet wipes can be precut and packaged to user-convenient shapes, sizes and quantities.

Success StoryA flexible approach to finding product solutions

We take a creative approach to our customers' needs, and are not shy about redesigning processes as well as products.

Success Story | Vol.1

Moist body wipes

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Who

Our partner of long standing is one of Japan’s oldest (founded in 1653) and renowned producers of functional nonwoven products for industrial, medical and consumer use. A number of years ago we worked together to bring to market a dry towel, and subsequently began planning to develop a moist version of the towel.

What

A number of years earlier, Asahi Kasei and the partner launched a disposable dry towel for hospital use. Market research showed that the actual use in body cleansing was 100% with the towel moistened, which led to our planning for commercializing a moist towel version.

Why Bemliese™?

Bemliese™ when moistened is soft and gentle to the skin. In addition, its lint-free properties make it optimally suited for infection suppression in hospital environments.

The Challenge We Welcomed

The processing machinery that folds multiple fabric layers into the moistened towel was limited to producing a 20cm by 30cm sized finished product (to date, this is still the situation). At this point, we examined the machinery that produces moistened paper hand towels for insights into solutions. By partially modifying the machinery, we were able to make possible the processing of a large format towel measuring 29cm by 55cm.

Success Story | Vol.2

Disinfecting wipes

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Who

Our partner is a major Japanese manufacturer of sanitary materials, founded in 1896. Its products are used by medical professionals as well as consumers on a daily basis.

What

A business trip to the United States was the impetus for this product, when the executive from Japan noticed the “tank” bulk container for wet wipes and thought that there was potential for it in the Japanese market. This led to the start of product development efforts. In 1993, Bemliese™ infused with alcohol made its Japan market debut as an antibacterial wipe as the precursor to all other alcohol antibacterial wipes. After launch, sales were driven up further by the heightened awareness of infection control in the market when confronted with infectious epidemics and disasters such as earthquakes. This product has a demonstrable high disinfectant effect due to its infusion with an alcohol concentration of 80% by volume. Furthermore, having acquired the designation of “quasi-drug” (unregulated drug) served as an endorsement of its efficacy (hand disinfection) and created a significant point of differentiation from other competing products. Adopted by medical institutions throughout Japan, the product currently continues to enjoy a commanding share as a high-quality disinfectant wipe.

Why Bemliese™?

Because Bemliese™ has high liquid retention, solutions do not easily evaporate and a single sheet can clean and disinfect a wide area. Further, the Bemliese™ used for this product is of the extra fine type (microfiber), optimizing the physical act of wiping. In hospital areas that require a high degree of cleanliness and when wiping down medical instruments and equipment, the low fiber loss of Bemliese™ is also widely acknowledged. The base cloth material of most competing disinfecting wipes incorporates synthetic fibers such as polyester, while this wipe using Bemliese™ is a product more in sync with current environment protection needs.

The Challenge We Welcomed

Initially, this product was sold with an alcohol concentration level below 60% by volume, keeping within the parameters of the Fire Service Act that limited the manufacturing facilities from storing handling higher concentrations of alcohol on plant premises. On the other hand, because the optimal alcohol concentration for disinfecting is 80% by volume, from 2011 we began transitioning to plants with explosion-resistant facilities that were permitted to handle higher alcohol concentrations. This made possible the reformulation of the alcohol concentration to the current 80% by volume. As countermeasures to competing products, we adopted such tactics as changing the Bemliese™ from regular to microfiber, to emphasize advantages in base material used and furthering differentiation from competitors.

High Function Across Wide Industrial Categories and Processes

Sanitizing wipes

Office IT equipment wipes

Moist boby wipes

We Help You Maintain Your High Quality.

We understand your need to keep up to your customers’ demand for quality products. Bemliese™ can be a key element of your quality control and maintenance programs, as well as for specific products. We welcome your inquiries.

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