Nihon Seiko is opening its first overseas office in Shanghai this year to fill the demand for high-performing antimony products driven by Asia's appetite for consumer electronics. Japan's leading antimony trioxide manufacturer, Nihon Seiko has been serving the automotive, electronics and chemical industries for more than 70 years. Antimony is variously used in these industries as a flame retardant and catalyst and for other applications. With its technological innovations, Nihon Seiko has helped Japanese companies globalise through expansion to the mainland and Southeast Asia over the past decades. "We try to grow our technology and provide very good service to comply with clients' requirements including price," says Jack Kishima, Nihon Seiko president. "Clients come to us when they are looking for a good supplier because only a few manufacturers are able to customise antimony materials." Unmatched in its production range for speciality antimony compounds, Nihon Seiko has developed the complex flame retardant STOX-501, a low-cost alternative that is similar in efficacy to antimony trioxide. Nippon Atomized Metal Powders Corporation (NAMPAC), Nihon Seiko's wholly owned subsidiary since 2008, produces a full range of water-atomised metal powders used mainly in electronics. NAMPAC pioneered atomisation control technology in this field. A leading producer of one micron-particle powders, NAMPAC continues to innovate in its niche. Demand is high for super-fine powders that are used for electronic devices and smartphones such as the iPhone. Nihon Seiko is keen on collaborating with Asian universities and research organisations to explore new antimony applications. It aims to be a complete solutions provider with its own smelter for raw materials and high-end capabilities for technological innovation. The company will continue supporting clients' new wave of expansion to emerging Southeast Asian markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar. Nihon Seiko www.nihonseiko.co.jp/english/
