Page 9 - Shimadzu Journal vol.10 Issue1

INSIGHT from CUSTOMER

Interview with Mr. Keiji Sumiya
Interview 2
“ Understanding and trusting

relationships based on the idea

of contributing to each other”

We interviewed Keiji Sumiya from the Japanese chemical manufacturer
Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. Showa Denko Materials is a global company
that offers one-stop solutions for a variety of challenges in fields ranging from
advanced materials to technical services. For many years, Shimadzu Corporation
has provided support for all sorts of analytical processes involved in R&D work at
Showa Denko Materials.

Mr. Sumiya, thank you very much for spending some time for this interview.
At first, would you give us a brief overview of the main businesses of Showa
Denko Materials, the mission of your organization, and your personal area
of expertise?

Showa Denko Materials is a Japanese chemical manufacturer of semiconductor and electronics-related
materials, mobility materials, functionally engineered polymer materials, and life sciences-related
products. The company was originally a chemical products division of Hitachi, Ltd. It was spun off in
1962 to establish the former Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. Throughout our long history, we have contin-
ued to develop and release advanced functionally engineered materials in various fields.
I currently work in the analysis department, where we use sophisticated analytical technologies to
fulfill our mission of providing strong support for product development and intellectual property strate-
gies for functionally engineered materials.
My specialty is in inorganic materials (crystalline and battery materials) and corresponding data anal-
ysis. In the past, I was engaged in developing detector elements for PET cancer imaging systems and
worked with the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) on joint research to develop a fully solid-
state QPM device. That project resulted in successfully developing the world’s first fluoride SHG short
wavelength laser oscillator. Later, in 2009, I was involved in a project to develop materials for recharge-
able lithium-ion batteries (LiB) used in electric vehicles, where I pioneered technologies for identifying
and visualizing functions and mechanisms that were critical for material development. Currently, I am

Shimadzu Journal vol.10 Issue1 8