Research and Development Utilizing Our Combined Strengths

As a company that contributes to society through its advanced materials, we are opening up the future through the Group’s combined strengths and open innovation, focusing on the development of revolutionary new technologies and the pursuit of the ultimate limits of our core technologies.
In the Sustainability Innovation Business and Digital Innovation Business—Toray’s areas of special focus in recent years—it is particularly important to have an organization which facilitates integration through cross-organization activities, close collaboration and technology exchange. The key factor for innovation is accurately identifying customer needs and the value of technologies so the group’s combined strength can be fully exhibited.

Utilizing Toray group’s Combined Strengths and open innovation

Combined Strength Approach

Our Technology Center is our control tower, where all of our R&D capabilities are brought together. There, we combine our core technologies with chemical engineering processes, engineering, fundamental technologies with analytical capabilities, and technologies particular to each of our business divisions. In this way, we maximize the group’s combined strength and in so doing, accelerate R&D, and the speed at which we solve important technical issues.

Combined Strength Approach

Strengthening Fundamental Technology Capabilities  -Fundamental Technologies Liaison Conferences-

Targeting greater depth and evolution of the fundamental technologies that form the technical basis at Toray, the Fundamental Technologies Liaison Conferences are currently active in polymerization, yarn-making, fibers application processing, film processing, organic synthesis and other fields. Targets are also being set for nanotechnology, biotechnology, informatics and data science and other fundamental technologies vital in forging the future for Toray. A total of 16 Fundamental Technologies Liaison Conferences are presently active, with these groups playing the collective role of an “academic society” within the overall Toray organization.

Activities

  • Analyze Toray technology, compare competence with other companies
  • Promote internal technology exchanges (symposiums, study groups, etc.)
  • Plan and hold specialized independent study courses
  • Promote exchanges with universities
  • Cultivate human resources, carry on technology
  • Propose technology measures

Fundamental Technologies

Core Technologies

  • Polymerization
  • Spinning
  • Film Processing
  • Fibers Application Processing
  • Functional Membranes
  • Structural Materials

Shared Technologies

  • Process Technology
  • Organic Synthesis
  • Computational Science
  • Informatics and Data Science

New Fundamental Technologies

  • Nanotechnology
  • Innovative Functional Materials
  • Polyolefin
  • Biotechnology
  • Film Processing
  • Adhesion

Promotion of Open Innovation

Toray Group strongly promote global cross-sector collaboration among industry, government and academia to introduce original ideas arising from basic science, and to collaborate with diverse partners.

Promotion of Open Innovation

Trends in national project participation

Graph:Trends in national project participation