Tokyo-based Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) describes itself as a chemical company, but that’s misleading in a way: the group has business units dedicated to petrochemicals, chemicals, electronics, inorganics, aluminum, and “others,” and its customers include energy and environmental groups, electronics manufacturers, and basic industries.
And within this portfolio is a forging company. SDK’s Aluminum business has a subsidiary known as Shotic, which has an integrated aluminum billet casting and forging plant at Kitakata, Japan, and two aluminum forging subsidiaries: Shotic Europa Industria de Aluminio, Lda. Portugal, and Shotic (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (STS)
As of this month, STS has a dedicated source of aluminum billets, with the start of production at Shotic Malaysia Sdn Bhd., (STM) in Johor, Malaysia.
“In its medium-term business plan,” said Hideo Ichikawa, CEO, “SDK positions the Shotic business as a base and stable business.
“By cultivating the Asian market and focusing on the development of new products that the automotive industry expects, SDK aims to further solidify the foundation of the Shotic business,” he continued.
The estimated $13-million operation, wholly owned by SDK, is based on the group’s Shotic continuous casting process for AlSi billets, which are supplied for various forged aluminum automotive products, including air compressor components, pistons, and automotive suspension system parts.