Introductory Guide to the Resonac 2024
- Purpose "Change society through the power of chemistry
- What are the characteristics of Resonac?
- “Corporate value = strategy x individual abilities x corporate culture” Raising the levels of these three elements
- Resonac in figures
- Resonac's wide-ranging product portfolio
- Resonac's technology portfolio creating the world's No. 1 products
Purpose "Change society through the power of chemistry"
Resonac’s Purpose is to “Change society through the power of chemistry.” Decades from now, when people mention something they take for granted, we want them to say, “It wouldn’t have been possible without Resonac.” We endeavor to become such a company.
Artificial intelligence, for example, is expected to dramatically change society in the future. To process more information even faster, semiconductor components for AI will require more complex structures. To that end, innovation in semiconductor materials will be crucial. Resonac provides and develops a wide range of cutting-edge materials that facilitate such technological advances. We can contribute to AI development in the area of materials and change society.
The power of chemistry is the foundation of all industries. The fields where Resonac can play an integral role are extensive. With its broad range of research and development and technological strengths, Resonac strives to realize a “future where we can change society through the power of chemistry.”
What are the characteristics of Resonac?
A semiconductor material company with overwhelming market shares in the back-end process
In January 2023, the integration of Showa Denko and Hitachi Chemical gave rise to the new company Resonac. Showa Denko pursued “raw materials” at the level of molecular design, whereas Hitachi Chemical was a “materials” maker that used raw materials to develop functions. The key concept of the corporate integration was to make use of the two companies’ strengths and improve them further.
While Showa Denko displayed prowess in raw material technologies, Hitachi Chemical excelled in semiconductor materials with overwhelming market shares in the back-end process. By combining their technologies, Resonac is able to turn “raw materials” into “functional materials.” Resonac is a company with a long value chain extending from midstream to downstream and dominant market shares in the back-end process. The company also demonstrates superior technological power with individual materials. These are the characteristics of Resonac from the perspective of its business portfolio.
Transforming the corporate culture
Resonac is also characterized by its efforts to promote the company’s Purpose and Values across the organization as it fosters its corporate culture. Japan’s major traditional companies boasting excellent human resources often face difficulties in fully utilizing their employees’ potential. To exploit our workers’ limitless potential, we believe it is crucial to reform the entire company and its corporate culture. With the firm determination to break away from the old structure of large Japanese firms, Resonac is striving to build a new corporate culture.
“Corporate value = strategy x individual abilities x corporate culture” Raising the levels of these three elements
To maximize our corporate value, we are working to elevate the levels of the three elements of strategy, individual abilities and corporate culture.
1. Strategy: “Acquire greater market shares with semiconductor materials”
To maintain the status of our semiconductor materials above a certain level, we believe it is essential to continue active investments in necessary businesses and peripheral technologies. In the past, improvements in semiconductor performance relied largely on miniaturization in the front-end process, but advances in this area are reaching their limit. The industry’s attention is now shifting to technological innovation in the back-end process. With Resonac’s overwhelming market shares in materials for the back-end process of semiconductors, we intend to use this trend as a tailwind to achieve further growth.
Since the core competency of the semiconductor material business lies in “development capacity,” we place particular weight on hiring and training R&D personnel appropriately and continuously. One example is “the Packaging Solution Center,” our R&D facility in Shinkawasaki featuring the latest semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The “JOINT 2” consortium established within the facility involves the makers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, materials and substrates taking on the challenges of technological innovation. As the second round of this initiative, we are planning to set up “US-JOINT” in Silicon Valley in the United States to increase Resonac’s presence and expand its activities in the country. We believe it is vital to strengthen our relationship with GAFAM and others by taking advantage of this location.
To realize next-generation, high-density semiconductor packaging, Resonac established the “JOINT2” consortium with 12* makers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, materials and substrates working together on technological development by mutually utilizing technologies and information. We provide optimal one-stop solutions for customers by combining the materials and technologies of the member firms.
- * Ajinomoto Fine-Techno Co., Inc., C. Uyemura & Co., Ltd., Ebara Corporation, Shinko Electric Industries Co., Ltd., Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., DISCO Inc., TOKYO OHKA KOGYO CO., LTD., NAMICS Corporation, Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd., MEC Co., Ltd., Yamaha Robotics Holdings Co., Ltd., and ORC MANUFACTURING CO., LTD. (as of July 2023)
We will start the “US-JOINT” consortium in Silicon Valley with 10* manufacturers of materials, equipment, etc. in Japan and the United States. In Japan, we operate “JOINT” and “JOINT2” consortiums to develop semiconductor packaging technologies through cross-company efforts with makers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials. We are planning to expand this initiative overseas by involving US firms.
- * Azimuth; KLA; Kulicke & Soffa; Moses Lake Industries; MEC; ULVAC; NAMICS; TOK; TOWA; and Resonac.(as of July 08, 2024)
2. Individual abilities: “Improve engagement to unleash individual abilities and foster autonomy”
The second element is “individual abilities.” Resonac places great importance on creating a company where employees genuinely enjoy their work. Increasing employees’ engagement is of fundamental importance in maximizing corporate value. Rather than taking stopgap measures to boost profitability, we believe it is more effective to address this central issue , and various measures are now underway to achieve this aim.
During the first year after management integration, “town-hall meetings” and “round-table discussions” were organized with the top management gathering with more than 1,000 employees to explain the company’s Purpose and Values.With many employees expressing their desire for mutual communication with management at the gatherings, we began to hold “Moyamoya Meetings” in the second year. Young employees raised various issues that cause “moyamoya (frustration)” and discussed with members of the management team how to resolve these issues using the company’s values. Employee frustrations provided the participants with helpful hints and created sympathy among them. The process of searching for solutions proved to be a small example of “co-creation.” We began the “Purpose Exploration Cafe” in the third year, as employees gained a better understanding of the Purpose and Values and the culture of co-creation began to take root. The aim is for employees to consider their own purposes by reflecting on their past, examining their present state, and talking about their future ideals.
Through these steps Resonac is striving to foster “autonomous talent who embody our Purpose and Values without relying on the company.” A survey of staff engagement showed that the percentage of employees “practicing the company’s Purpose and Values” had significantly increased, indicating that we are steadily moving toward our goal as “a company that develops co-creative talent and represents Japan’s manufacturing industry.”
Discussing values at “Moyamoya Meetings”
“Moyamoya Meetings” involve a program where the CEO and CHRO visit sites to discuss with employees how to resolve their daily frustrations (“moyamoya”) with values or through co-creation. Participants discuss their frustrations and offer suggestions from the perspective of these values, while management or site directors make on-the-spot decisions regarding the issues raised.
Purpose Exploration Café
The Purpose Exploration Cafe is a program that encourages employees to reflect on their past, engage in dialogue and receive feedback; they can also discover what they truly believe is important and realize or explore their own purposes. This initiative helps employees to think about their common purposes with Resonac and take steps to achieve them.
- Detailed information RESONAC REPORT 2024: "Now! Fostering Resonac’s Corportae Culture?"
3. Corporate culture: “Accelerate co-creative innovation by reforming the corporate culture”
The third element is “transformation of the corporate culture.” Along with personnel development, we are particularly focused on transforming our corporate culture. By combining co-creative personnel development and corporate culture transformation that encourages our employees to act spontaneously, we aim to accelerate “co-creative innovation.”
For instance, the company’s synergy used to be limited to a point-to-point relationship with one site developing powder upon request from another site that produced semiconductor materials. By reallocating the powder development staff to sites producing the materials, we can enhance our synergy for a greater co-creative relationship. As we advance to the next stage, we will establish individual R&D sites for materials and technologies, such as powders, resins and monomers, to upgrade our effort to produce “co-creative innovation.”
We are also seeing spontaneous moves to connect marketing to development. For example, starting with the question of “what materials are needed for 6G,” we will identify the required material properties and determine the best R&D site to achieve the objective. Such trends are already emerging.
At the Research Center for Computational Science and Informatics, we are also significantly reducing the number of experiments conducted during simulations in the development phase. By using AI for simulations that formerly required numerous experiments, we can narrow down the experiments to those with the maximum potential and reduce the development period considerably. Members of the Center also visit various sites to inquire with staff about the simulations they want to run. Such moves are increasing co-creation opportunities within the company.
In this way, autonomous actions to embody the company’s Purpose and Values are underway at various sites. People and corporate culture are at the heart of our undertakings to maximize corporate value. Resonac will continue its persistent efforts to attain these goals.
Simulations using AI and deep learning
- Detailed information RESONAC REPORT 2024: "Co-creation with Stakeholders"
Resonac in figures
Resonac aims to become a globally competitive company with its businesses operating in Japan and around the world.
More detailed financial and non-financial information
Resonac's wide-ranging product portfolio
Resonac operates businesses across a wide range of fields with a focus on semiconductor and electronic materials; numerous products in its semiconductor and electronic materials segment have captured the world's No. 1 market share. Resonac's long-term growth strategy centers on this field.
- Each business strategies Resonac's Strategies for the Achivement of its Long-term Vision
Resonac's technology portfolio creating the world's No. 1 products
Resonac offers such technologies as "Chemistry to Think," "Chemistry to Synthesize," and "Chemistry to Formulate" to support its wide-ranging product portfolio. Resonac will generate new functions and values by combining these technologies to provide world-leading products.
- Detailed information on Resonac's technologies R&D Top Page