01.01.08
Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
Sales: $195 million
Description: Key Personnel
Mitsuo Kanno, president; Minoru Tanaka, managing director; Yoshiaki Mizutani, director; Kasuo Hamada, managing director
Plants
Shiga, Tokyo, Japan
Processes
Resin bonded, needlepunched, thermal bonded, wetlaid, spunlaced, meltblown tackspun
Major markets
Apparel interlinings, apparel insulations, air filters, plaster bases, automotive mats, automotive headliners, battery electrode separators
Nonwovens sales for Japan Vilene were ¥22.9 billion in fiscal 2007 period ended March 31, 2008. By segment, sales to apparel materials decreased 10.2% to ¥4.2 billion; automotive material sales increased 11.4% to ¥26.6 billion; air filtration decreased 1.8% to ¥8.6 billion; medical and consumer material sales increased 3.5% to ¥7.2 billion; industrial materials increased 2% to ¥10.7 billion and sales of other materials increased 10.7% to ¥1.7 billion.
High growth in the automotives market helped make this segment Japan Vilene’s largest division, accounting for 45.1% of total sales. Some of this success can be attributed to sales of floor mat and ceiling headliners for interior automotive applications in the U.S. Together with Freudenberg, Japan Vilene has been developing these materials for the automotives and VIAM manufacturing have produced floor mats.
Japan Vilene has worked toward globalizing its filter business and has established a joint cooperation with Freudenberg named Freudenberg & Vilene Thailand (FVFT) in September 2007. This partnership began producing and selling air filters in January 2008 mainly to the automotive and gas turbine markets. Each company has an equal stake. Thailand was chosen as the manufacturing base of this operation because the companies determined an Asian location would help it take advantage of the growing automotive industry in the region.
Meanwhile, Japan Vilene has continued the development of its proton-exchange membrane cell (PEFC) and it is currenty applying this technology to a number of application areas. One area is electrode battery separators where the technology is applied to mulled carbon particle and resin. The carbon fibers typically used for the electrodes have a number of drawbacks including higher costs and fragility but the technology being offered by Japan Vilene is flexible and costs less than competitors.
Sales: $195 million
Description: Key Personnel
Mitsuo Kanno, president; Minoru Tanaka, managing director; Yoshiaki Mizutani, director; Kasuo Hamada, managing director
Plants
Shiga, Tokyo, Japan
Processes
Resin bonded, needlepunched, thermal bonded, wetlaid, spunlaced, meltblown tackspun
Major markets
Apparel interlinings, apparel insulations, air filters, plaster bases, automotive mats, automotive headliners, battery electrode separators
Nonwovens sales for Japan Vilene were ¥22.9 billion in fiscal 2007 period ended March 31, 2008. By segment, sales to apparel materials decreased 10.2% to ¥4.2 billion; automotive material sales increased 11.4% to ¥26.6 billion; air filtration decreased 1.8% to ¥8.6 billion; medical and consumer material sales increased 3.5% to ¥7.2 billion; industrial materials increased 2% to ¥10.7 billion and sales of other materials increased 10.7% to ¥1.7 billion.
High growth in the automotives market helped make this segment Japan Vilene’s largest division, accounting for 45.1% of total sales. Some of this success can be attributed to sales of floor mat and ceiling headliners for interior automotive applications in the U.S. Together with Freudenberg, Japan Vilene has been developing these materials for the automotives and VIAM manufacturing have produced floor mats.
Japan Vilene has worked toward globalizing its filter business and has established a joint cooperation with Freudenberg named Freudenberg & Vilene Thailand (FVFT) in September 2007. This partnership began producing and selling air filters in January 2008 mainly to the automotive and gas turbine markets. Each company has an equal stake. Thailand was chosen as the manufacturing base of this operation because the companies determined an Asian location would help it take advantage of the growing automotive industry in the region.
Meanwhile, Japan Vilene has continued the development of its proton-exchange membrane cell (PEFC) and it is currenty applying this technology to a number of application areas. One area is electrode battery separators where the technology is applied to mulled carbon particle and resin. The carbon fibers typically used for the electrodes have a number of drawbacks including higher costs and fragility but the technology being offered by Japan Vilene is flexible and costs less than competitors.