Ube Material Industries,Ltd.

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History

Our company has two routes. Lime calcination in Mine and seawater chemical industries in Ube. Both cities are located in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Mine has the big and high quality limestone deposit. Ube started its industrial career by mining of undersea coalbeds nearly a century ago.

There is quite a long history of lime calcining business at Mine area. Local 3 main lime producers consolidated in 1919. The company was expanding through acquisition of adjacent producers and corporated as Nippon Lime Industries Ltd. in 1941.

In 1917, for contributing the development for national industry, RIKEN foundation was established in Tokyo. RIKEN (means " The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research") is the first private research institute in Japan and founded with imperial donation, government subsidies and private contributions. In 1930's, one of Riken's inventions, seawater brine-based magnesium metal production technology, was introduced to set up an enterprise at Ube in Yamaguchi Pref. Riken Magnesium Metal LTD.was founded in 1938.

After World War II, both companies were restructured and joined in Ube Industries Group. The magnesium metal facilities turned into seawater magnesia clinker plant under the name of Ube Chemical Ind. Co., Ltd.

According to growing vigorous demand for iron & steel industries, these two companies were expanding and modernized with successive investments. Ube Chemical became to get the world largest production capacity of seawater magnesia in 1971. After setting up Chiba factory in 1974, Nippon Lime became Japanese largest lime producer. Both were growing together through consistent supply of low cost and high quality quick lime as raw material requisite for highest quality magnesia clinker.

To cope with drastic economic changes like oil crisis in 1970's and Yen appreciation in late 1980's, these two companies diversified and developed high value added product. In 1990's, Nippon Lime renewed the name as CALCEED Co., Ltd. and introduced CS( Ultra high purity Calcium Carbonate ) series into electronics market. Ube Chemical cultivated the environment market and also introduced magnesium oxysulfate whisker and Ultra fine & high purity single crystal magnesia.

In 1997, CALCEED and Ube Chemical merged to form Ube Material Industries, Ltd. This consolidation was targeted toward a strong survival by integration of management resources in the fast and ever changing world market.