Toshin Kogyo develops TPS system for Ichinose 7000.
Capable of multi-color printing with few color separations.
Domestic and Chinese contracts completed.

President Shiro Ichinose, giving explanation to members of Nihon Senshoku Kako Dogyo Kai

Toshin Kogyo being renowned worldwide for producing Ichinose 7000 auto flat bed screen printer has developed an innovative new system called TPS which rationalizes the work of color separation which has to be carried out as many times as there are colors used for multi-color printing. The feature of the TPS system is that it can improve gradation effects and realize a wide range of multicolored expressions even with fewer uses of color separation using digital processing and without being inferior to conventional multi color separation.

A general description was given to members of the Technology Committee of Nihon Senshoku Kako Dogyo Kai (the Japanese Dyeing & Finishing Industry Association) at its meeting held in the company on February 23, 2007. TPS can be applied to Ichinose 7000 printer. The company has already reached sales agreements for this newly developed TPS with printing firms in Japan and China.

Exports to US account for 20% of total sales of Matsuo Nassen in Higashi Osaka.

Self-help efforts for the survival of businesses are conspicuous in the Japanese dyeing and printing industry. The president of Matsuo Nassen in Higashi Osaka, Mr. Osamu Matsuo said, "Our sales are recently increasing as an indirect effect of establishing a pilot shop in Tokyo. There has not been a pronounced effect on sales and profit rates of the shop itself, but interactions and business meetings with new clients are increasing because having a pilot shop results in bringing active exchanges such as new clients' inquiries to the head office for our capability of realizing their ideas or for some interesting printing projects. Moreover, overseas clients are increasing as well, and exports overseas including to the U.S. have accounted for 20% of our total sales."

Order-receiving pattern for printing is changing, said Mr. Matsuo from Matsuo Nassen.

Mr. Osamu Matsuo from Matsuo Nassen shared his views; "Recently the textile printing seasons in Japan are changing significantly and, for Matsuo Nassen, they have become completely different. If the globalization rate increases for businesses like ours later, the conventional pattern of printing seasons will be totally changed."

Printing speed of ink-jet machines will be highlights of ITMA Munich.

It is expected that a number of ink-jet printing machines from various countries will be introduced at ITMA 2007 held in Munich, Germany in September 2007. The highlight of competition is going to be improvements in printing speed.

Toray develops sports underwear with "motion- synchronizing property".

Underwear using “PROGRESKIN”

Toray has developed a stretch knit material for sports underwear, "PROGRESKIN," which has a "motion-synchronizing property." Toray mentioned three features of "PROGRESKIN" which are (1) excellent "motion-synchronizing property" with its stretch property which brings optimal fitting synchronized with any movements when being worn as sports underwear, (2) pleasant hand and (3) superior perspiration-absorbency and quick-drying property.

According to Toray, to realize the "motion-synchronizing property" of "PROGRESKIN," its power ratio when being stretched was optimized and the amount of power change was restrained by achieving an optimum balance in fabric designing among yarn types and thicknesses, conditions of formulation and methods of post treatment when combining Toray's special cationic dyeable polyester filament and OPELONTEX's polyurethane elastic fiber "LYCRA 8" (LYCRA is a registered trademark of INVISTA for premium stretch fibers and fabrics). Highcount type yarns which have more filament units and thinner single fibers than conventional yarns are used for special cationic dyeable polyester to realize a pleasant hand and perspiration-absorbency and quick-drying property which is fundamental to sports underwear.

Performance of PROGRESKIN	Comparative photo of stretching property
	PROGRESKIN Conventional products
Performance image with a score of 100 representing PROGRESKIN	PROGRESKIN stretches better and wider than conventional products with same load.

Asahi Kasei establishes Asahi Kasei Business Management (Shanghai).

Asahi Kasei has established "Asahi Kasei Business Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.," as a "regional headquarters" incorporated under Shanghai municipal regulatory provisions, for supporting group subsidiaries in China and core operating companies in the group to expand into China, and will begin operation from April 1, 2007. Asahi Kasei is planning to accelerate further the group's expansion into China through the establishment of this new subsidiary.