AGC to Establish New R&D System for seamless research and open collaboration

AGC Asahi Glass (AGC), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, today announced their plans to establish a new research and development system.

AGC plans to construct a new research facility at the site of its Keihin Plant in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama. This will centralize the development of new products, processes, and basic technologies, which are currently divided between the Keihin Plant and Asahi Glass Research Center located in Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama.

The company will develop the Keihin Plant as an 'urban hub for value creation' which will not only enable seamless research and development, but also provide a space to host collaborations with other companies and research institutions. The new R&D system is scheduled to start operation in June 2020.

In February 2016, the company established "Vision 2025" as well as a long-term management strategy for its realization.

In line with this, strategic business endeavors with excellent potential for growth in the target areas of mobility, electronics and life sciences have been positioned by AGC as one of its pillars of growth, parallel with the other pillar of growth in its core business such as glass, chemicals, displays, electronics, ceramics and high-tech materials.

The business environment changes quickly, and in order to succeed in both core and strategic business where increasingly unique value and functionality is demanded, a dramatic increase in R&D speed is crucial - and centralizing the R&D system is vital to achieving this goal.

It is also important to strengthen partnerships with other companies and research institutions through collaboration to work towards making open innovation a reality.

With this background in mind, AGC decided to construct a facility that can encourage collaboration while also permitting resources–internal or external–to flow seamlessly in-and-out of the facility (after, of course, clearing security formalities).

In an aim to drive fusion, reaction, and collaborative creation, this new R&D system will make the most of every resource associated with R&D, including a wide range of ideas, concepts, people, information, and technologies.

The Keihin Plant was selected as the location for the new research building, which will centralize the R&D activities currently divided among different locations. The site’s following advantages led to this decision:

(1) being situated in an advanced industry cluster in the Keihin Waterfront Life Innovation International Strategy Specialized Zone, this location is wellsuited for dynamic interaction between technology experts working in Industry-Government-Academia,

(2) having few location-based restrictions, it is possible to construct an R&D facility that fully realizes its concept, and

(3) this location offers proximity to Haneda Airport as well as Port of Yokohama, and the convenience of being next to a network of highways.

◆ Overview of the New Research Facilities

Total floor area

● Research building 43,000 m2

● Annexes (5 bldg.) 4,000 m2

Total 47,000 m2

■ Scheduled completion: July 2019

Under its AGC plus management policy, the AGC Group has made a commitment to create products and technological innovations that add various pluses for stakeholders. Pluses for society include 'safety', 'security', and 'comfort', while pluses for customers include 'new value' and 'functionality'.

AGC is dedicated to pursuing technological innovation to provide products that add new value and exceed customers' expectations.