Singapore isn’t the cheapest choice for any kind of manufacturing facility, which is why Nippon Pigment only focuses on producing its higher-end compounding and coloring here. The real added value of maintaining operations on the island comes from proximity to its clients and easy access to information.

“Having a base in Singapore keeps us close to the upstream industries in the chemical field and close to many of our customers,” says Managing Director Hitoshi Ryuba. “It’s easier to communicate with our clients from here and it’s easier to get information we need to remain competitive.”

Its parent company, Nippon Pigment of Japan, established Nippon Pigment in Singapore in 1979. According to Ryuba, business did not really pick up until the mid-1980s when more and more of the company’s clients began setting up shop in Singapore.

Over time, the company as a whole has diversified into the production of pigments and the processing of synthetic coloring agents – but its focus has always remained on the coloring business.

With the responsibility of handling higher-end manufacturing, Nippon Pigment Singapore’s machinery and quality control measures match all of the specifications of those in Japan in order to ensure the highest quality products possible for the entire range of industries the company serves. Some of its clients include Toyota, Sony, Shiseido, and Nippon Paint. With a manufacturing capacity of 12,000 per year, products are exported throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

Nippon Pigment operates a factory on 6,000 square meters of land with a staff of about 65. In addition to production, the also serve as a regional headquarters in Southeast Asia – overseeing the production facilities in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.