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| Asahimas Chemical President
Director Jun Miyazaki |
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The strong links between Japan and Indonesia are often best exemplified by the Japanese subsidiaries now based in the Southeast Asian archipelago and their visionary leaders who help the local community and run strong businesses.
“We are a Japanese joint venture company in Indonesia, and we contribute to society through our products. By doing so, we are creating a wealthier Indonesian society,” says Asahimas Chemical President Director Jun Miyazaki.
Asahimas Chemical, a joint venture of Asahi Glass Co., Rodamas, Ableman Finance and Mitsubishi Corp., was founded in Jakarta in 1986. Three years later, it began operations in its 91-hectare state-of-the-art production complex in nearby Cilegon Banten.
With one of the largest and most integrated alkali-vinyl plants in Southeast Asia, ASC produces basic chemicals such as caustic soda (NaOH), ethylene dichloride (EDC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), all for downstream industries in Indonesia and neighboring countries.
“We currently have about 1,050 employees. Our last plant expansion was in 2002. After 10 years, thanks to Indonesia’s progressive economic growth and an increase in domestic demand, we have decided to expand and invest again,” says Miyazaki, who also revealed plans to increase production capacity by 30 percent by 2013.
“Our chemicals have a great number of applications. We produce about 370,000 tons of caustic soda annually and this is used in, among others, the production of soap, monosodium glutamate (MSG), rayon and textiles. We market our products mainly in the domestic market but also export PVC to neighboring countries. Because of rising demand in Asia, we are focusing on the domestic market and nearby countries,” Miyazaki explains.
The company’s service to the local community is a huge part of its reason for being in Indonesia.
“We are dedicated to improving people’s quality of life through our products. We place a lot of importance on safety, security, health and environmental factors, which is why we organize numerous charitable activities and promote education and health in the local communities. Our environmental initiatives and training are the strengths of ASC,” he says.
www.asc.co.id |