Nikkato drives ceramics innovation to build industries
Rarely can a company boast of a history that dates back to the advent of the industry it serves. But such is the case for Nikkato Corporation, one of Japan's leading manufacturers of advanced ceramics that supports the growth of modern electronic industries.
Rarely can a company boast of a history that dates back to the advent of the industry it serves. But such is the case for Nikkato Corporation, one of Japan's leading manufacturers of advanced ceramics that supports the growth of modern electronic industries.
Established in 1913 to support Japan's industrialisation of domestic chemical porcelains used in technological research fields, Nikkato has contributed greatly to developments in Japan's scientific and industrial fields. From importing chemical porcelains from Germany, Nikkato now applies its advanced technology development capabilities to serve leading Japanese companies in the fields of steel and electronic components.
As ceramic materials became widely used in the environmental and energy fields, Nikkato manufactured more products including wear- and heat-resistant ceramics used to downsize electric materials such as multilayer ceramic capacitors, dielectrics and piezoelectric ceramics. These electric materials are loaded in portable electronic devices such as smartphones.
With the increase in electronic device customers worldwide, the demand for Nikkato's ceramic products also increased. Pursuing further growth in Asia, Nikkato employs a long-term technical partnership with a manufacturer in Taiwan to remain competitive.
"Nikkato has a wider variety of reliable products but with a low volume," says Takashi Nishimura, president. "We serve the mid- to high-end customers such as Kyocera and TDK, as we provide high-quality products." Guided by its philosophy of building societies through industrial innovations, Nikkato nurtures partnerships with educational and national institutions. Its co-operation with the National Industrial Research Institute of Nagoya developed proprietary products such as yttria-stabilised zirconia (YTZ) ceramics. YTZ equipment and grinding media have high mechanical properties, high densities, high purity and smooth surface conditions that result in higher wear resistance as well as superior grinding and dispersing efficiency for electric materials, pigments, paints and advanced materials.
"We continue to manufacture products with added value in Japan while expanding our exports," Nishimura says. "We will go on to develop products that cannot be easily done by other companies."
www.nikkato.co.jp
