Takeda to Transfer its Life-environmental Business to Osaka Gas

04-05-2005: Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited jointly announced the transfer of shares of Takeda's five subsidiaries and affiliates engaged in life-environmental business to Osaka Gas Chemicals Co., Ltd. , a subsidiary of Osaka Gas. Such five companies include Japan EnviroChemicals, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda.

Osaka Gas is committed to increase its corporate value by enhancing the non-energy businesses expected to grow in the future. As one of such efforts, Osaka Gas Chemicals aims to expand its carbon-based business such as activated carbon, electrode materials and fine materials, all of which are based on the technologies accumulated during the time when coal was the main resource for Osaka Gas's gas production.

Takeda is aiming to become an R&D oriented, world-class pharmaceutical company, and to that effect, it has been promoting independence of its non-pharmaceutical businesses in order to concentrate management resources into pharmaceutical business. As one of its movements, the life-environmental business of Takeda became an independent subsidiary, Japan EnviroChemicals in April 2003 as first step, and Takeda has been seeking the optimal business model to find Osaka Gas Chemicals as the most appropriate partner to which the business will be transferred as announced.

One of the Osaka Gas Chemicals' strengths is that it manufactures and sells consumer goods such as household water purifiers using highly adsorptive activated carbon fibers, while Japan EnviroChemicals has top market share in products such as granulated/powdered activated carbon, and wood preservatives. The synergy effect by consolidation of technology and know-how of Osaka Gas Chemicals and Japan EnviroChemicals including other four companies is highly expected to contribute to expansion of the businesses leveraged on the further enriched product-line and wider range of targeted customers.