Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (head office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshinari Kitajima; hereinafter referred to as "DNP") and UBE Corporation (head office: Ube City, Yamaguchi; President: Masato Izumihara; hereinafter referred to as "UBE") have agreed to start collaboration through a joint venture company in April 2024, aiming to create new value in materials analysis. DNP and UBE will jointly operate UBE Scientific Analysis Laboratory, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "USAL"), a UBE group company that analyzes organic, inorganic and polymer compounds, with DNP acquiring 66.625% of the issued shares of USAL. USAL will become a joint venture between the two companies, with UBE continuously holding a 33.375% stake.

The new building of UBE's Ube Research Laboratory (Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture), which is partially used by USAL

Example of measurement work

Purpose of Stock Transfer

Having set digital interface-related products such as optical films, semiconductor-related products, and mobility/industrial high-performance materials-related products as its focus business areas, DNP is promoting the development of new, high-value-added products. With the aims of deepening the technology that supports these products, creating new value by combining technologies, and strategically securing intellectual property, DNP will make USAL a group company, which has strengths in the analysis and evaluation necessary for development work and has advanced analytical techniques, equipment, and specialized human resources. DNP will strengthen its business portfolio from an intellectual property perspective through collaboration with USAL.

UBE aims to contribute to solving social issues through its creative technological capabilities and innovative manufacturing. In April 2022, the company changed its name from Ube Industries to UBE. The company's medium-term management plan states pursuing sustainable growth based on both "growth in specialty chemicals" and "contribution to global environmental issues." Through these initiatives, UBE promotes business structural reforms. Additionally, in the specialty chemicals field, the company will formulate and implement technological strategies focusing on meeting customer needs through marketing activities aimed at creating new businesses.

DNP and UBE will operate USAL as a joint venture from April 1st. Capitalizing on this opportunity, they will also consider collaborating to create synergy by leveraging UBE's material technology and DNP's processing technology.

USAL Overview

In 1987, the analysis and evaluation group was separated from the R&D department of Ube Industries (currently UBE) and established as an independent entity. USAL provides many kinds of analysis and evaluation services to various industries, including automotive, electronics, and life science. Its services include analyses of organic, inorganic, and various materials as to their chemical compositions, structures, surfaces, morphological observation, ultra-micro analysis, and safety evaluation.

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