About Toagosei America, Inc.EstablishedJuly 1994 Business ProfileToagosei America Inc. brings you Aron Alpha, a family of industrial cyanoacrylate adhesives (instant glues) for a wide range of manufacturing, automotive, electronics and general assembly applications. Toagosei Inc. has been producing cyanoacrylate adhesives since 1963, commercially marketed under the names of Aron Alpha in Japan, North and South America (industrial markets), and Instant Krazy Glue in North American consumer markets. Because we manufacture, package and distribute our own products, product freshness, quality and shelf life are stringently controlled. In addition to our standard line of products, special formulations are available, as well as a variety of packaging options. Adhesive challenges are welcomed by our sales, marketing and research teams. United States research and technical facilities are located at our West Jefferson, Ohio plant whose quality management system is registered to ISO 9001. Additional technical support is available through other locations worldwide. History of Toagosei1933Yahagi Kogyo Co., Ltd., a predecessor of Toagosei, was founded. Manufacturing of ammonium sulfate, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid commenced using surplus electricity from its parent company. 1942The second Yahagi Kogyo Co., Ltd. was founded, resulting in the establishment of Toagosei. 1944Showa Soda Co., Ltd., Hokkai Soda Co., Ltd. and Rayon Soda Co., Ltd. were merged into the second Yahagi Kogyo Co., Ltd to form "Toagosei Chemical Industry Co., Ltd." 1957A new factory (Tokushima Factory) was established to produce caustic soda and organic solvents in Tokushima Prefecture. 1960An acrylic ester plant was completed in the Nagoya factory. 1963Manufacturing of instant glue "Aron Alpha" commenced. 1973Affiliated company Toajushi Kogyo Co., Ltd. merged with Teraoka Seisakusho, forming "Aron Kasei Co., Ltd." 1983"Oita Chemical Co., Ltd." was established in Oita Prefecture to produce acrylic acid. 1989The New York Office was locally incorporated to establish "Toagosei America Inc." 1991"Tsukuba Research Laboratory" was founded to develop new technology and products centered on life science. 1993"Toagosei Hong Kong Limited" was established to market Aron Alpha in Hong Kong. 1994Our company was renamed "Toagosei Limited" on our 50th anniversary. Our first overseas factory was established in West Jefferson, Ohio, U.S.A. Filling and packaging of Aron Alpha (U.S. brand name: Krazy Glue) were commenced. 1995"Toagosei Asia Pte Ltd." was established in Singapore. 1996Production in China was commenced at "Toagosei (Zhuhai) Limited," a factory for filling and packaging Aron Alpha. 1999A facility for manufacturing acrylic acid and acrylic esters was completed in Singapore and its operation was commenced. 2000"V-Tech Corporation," a joint venture with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, was established to manufacture and market polyvinyl chloride. Aron Kasei Co., Ltd. was listed on the First Section of Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges.Taiwan Toagosei Co., Ltd. was established for sales of acrylic oligomer (Aronix). 2001The industrial gas business was spun off, and its operation was commenced as "Toa Techno-Gas Co., Ltd." Production of Aronix was commenced in Taiwan (TOA-JET Chemical Co., Ltd.). 2002Tsurumi Soda Co., Ltd. became a wholly owned subsidiary. 2003Kyoei Shoji Co., Ltd. and Sansei Shoji Co., Ltd. merged, resulting in a company named "TG Corporation." The Engineering Group, Engineering Works Department, and Toakakoki Co., Ltd. were integrated, and "TOA Engineering Co., Ltd." was established. 2004"TG Support Corporation" was established which performs administrative work (personnel, general, financial, and accounting affairs) for the companies in our grousp. A merger with Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc.(presently, DIC Corporation) resulted in the establishment of "TOA-DIC Zhanjiagang Chemical Co., Ltd." It was established in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province in China for manufacturing and marketing of UV curable resin. Singapore Acrylic Ester Pte Ltd. became a wholly-owned subsidiary,renamed "Toagosei Singapore PTE Ltd." 2006The polymer flocculant business was split off and MT AquaPolymer Inc. was established as a joint venture with Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (presently, a consolidated subsidiary). Origin of Aron Alpha Trade NameHistory of Aron"Aron" is a unified trademark for synthetic resin products of Toagosei. Since Yahagi Kogyo is the company name at the time of its establishment, the trademark of the main product used "ya" (arrow in Japanese) which is part of the word "Yahagi." In 1953, the new trademark of "Aron" was created. "Aron" was derived from the English translation of "ya" which is "arrow" and from "ron" which came from "nylon" and "Teflon" ("-lon" translated to "-ron" in Japanese). Nylon and Teflon were the main postwar plastics. Today, the name "Aron" is also used in the name of our consolidated subsidiary Aron Kasei Co., Ltd. Creation of Aron + Alpha = "Aron Alpha""Aron Alpha" was created in 1963. "Aron Alpha" was named by combining "Aron" and "alpha" from the chemical name of instant glue "alpha cyanoacrylate." "Alpha" also means "first" or "starting point" in Greek. The name reflected the pioneering spirit of that time in developing a completely new market. General Home UseAron Alpha was initially marketed and sold for industrial use. However, we received comments from amateur fishing clubs that Aron Alpha was very useful for affixing lures, fishing lines, and baits. We used this opportunity to perform a thorough marketing research of the product. In addition, through the improvement of safety and shelf life by increasing product purity, we launched Aron Alpha for use in fishing in 1966. Then Aron Alpha for general home use was launched in 1971 with its familiar yellow container. Expansion into Overseas MarketExpansion of Aron Alpha into the overseas market was achieved relatively quickly. In 1968, the exportation of Aron Alpha to the U.S. began. Initially, the brand name of Aron Alpha was used for exportation. In 1973, we examined a product name that is easily acceptable to the U.S. general consumers. In the U.S., the word "crazy" incorporates a sense of "fascinated." The first letter "C" was changed to "K" and the brand name was changed to "Krazy Glue." Just as in Japan, this product became a hit in the U.S. with its unique name and a successful TV commercial. Today, it has become a popular and very long-selling product worldwide including in Europe and Asia. Toagosei Worldwide LocationsIn 1990, Toagosei and U.S. Borden Inc. (presently, Elmer's Products Inc.) established a sales subsidiary as a joint venture to strengthen sales of instant glue Aron Alpha. In 1994, a factory for filling and packaging was constructed in Columbus, Ohio to secure a supply base for the North and South American regions. In 1995, another factory was constructed in Zuhai, China, established sales bases in Hong Kong and Singapore to expand the adhesive business. In 1998, a manufacturing plant in Singapore was completed for acrylic acid and acrylic ester, our core business, and its business operation began in 1999. In 2000, a sales base was established for Aronix, UV-curable resin, in Taiwan, and its manufacturing operation began in 2001. In 2004, a new company was established in Zhangjiagang, China. New development is being performed in anticipation of increased demands in the Asian market.
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