History

History

From Just One Drop of Oil ...to a Global Leader in Chemicals

The NOF Group was founded in 1937, but the company’s core business has a long history with roots reaching back to the Meiji Era.

Nippon Oil & Fats Co.,Ltd. was established in June 1937 when its forerunner, Associated Oil and Fats, merged with three companies in the Nippon Sangyo Group – Nippon Food Industries, Kokusan Industry Fuji Paint Works, and Velvet Soap. After its founding, the company continued to diversify through mergers with leading companies in other sectors, including Teikoku Explosives Industries, to ultimately grow into a widely diversified chemical industry manufacturer.

Gathering held on July 20, 1937 to commemorate the establishment of Nippon Oil & Fats Co.Ltd.
Gathering held on July 20, 1937 to commemorate the establishment of Nippon Oil & Fats Co.Ltd.

In 1945 the company acquired the chemical of Nippon Mining Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. In 1949, in accordance with the Corporation Reconstruction and Reorganization Law, the company inherited the oil and fats, explosives, coating, and welding divisions of Nissan Chemical Industries, and once again took the name Nippon Oil and Fats. During this time, the company entered the petrochemical field, establishing the Chidori Plant in 1961 and the Oita Plant in 1969.

In 1983, NOF became one of the first companies to set up a research facility in Tsukuba City. The facility’s expertise has been used to good advantage in the pharmaceutical field.

Globalization

In 1984, NOF moved into the US market for the first time with an investment in METAL COATINGS INTERNATIONAL INC. (now NOF METAL COATINGS NORTH AMERICA INC.), followed by the establishment of NOF AMERICA CORPORATION in 1988. In 1991, the company moved into Europe and recently, established NOF EUROPE GmbH in Germany. In Southeast Asia, the company established a joint venture in Indonesia for organic peroxides in 1995. In addition, to take advantage of China’s extraordinary development, the company established a company in 2004 to manufacture and market fatty acid derivatives and organic peroxides.

Business Developments

As new business ventures, the company embarked into the life sciences field in 1999 and DDS fields in 2001.In addition, in 2000, to meet the need to focus and consolidate business territory and management resources, the company transferred its welding business to TASETO Co., Ltd. and its coatings business to BASF NOF Coatings Co., Ltd. (now BASF Japan Ltd.). In 2004, the company set up its new Daishi Plant in Kawasaki and transferred the manufacturing of oil and fats for food processing from its Oji Plant to the new facility. In 2005, the company completed its DDS plant.

In 2007, to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding and properly reflect our company’s business activities, we changed its Japanese trading name to Nichiyu Kabushikigaisha, but its English name will be NOF CORPORATION and intend to expand into a broader range of businesses in the future as the NOF Group.

Going forward, NOF will continue to strive to be a chemical manufacturer whose business activities make positive contributions to society.

NOF Corporation Timeline

1910s
09/1910 Japan Lever Brothers (now the Amagasaki Plant) established
08/1917 Suzuki Shoten oil refinery (the former Oji Plant) established
11/1919 Teikoku Explosives Industries Co., Ltd. (now the Aichi Works, Taketoyo Plant) established
1930s
06/1936 Nippo Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Former Nippon Shikki Co., Ltd.) established
06/1937 Nippon Oil & Fats Co., Ltd. established (Head office: Nissan-kan)
01/1938 Hokkaido Oil and Fats Industries and 14 other companies merge
1940s
02/1943 Showa Kinzoku Industries, Ltd. established
04/1945 Acquired the chemical department of Nippon Mining Co., Ltd., name changed to Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.
06/1947 NICHIYU TRADING CO., LTD. (Former Nissei Shoji Co., Ltd.) established
07/1949 Company reestablished as Nippon Oil & Fats Co., Ltd. following the enactment of the Economic Deconcentration Law (Head office: Shirokiya, Nihonbashi, Tokyo)
1950s
10/1951 Head office moved to Marunouchi Tokyo Building
10/1954 Production of rocket propellant started
02/1957 Production of organic peroxides started
1960s
07/1961 Nichiyu Kogyo Co., Ltd established
11/1961 Chidori Plant begins operations
02/1966 YUKA SANGYO CO., LTD. established
05/1967 Head office moved to Yurakucho Building, Tokyo
1970s
06/1970 Merged with Teikoku Pyrotechnics Co., Ltd.
06/1973 Nippon Dacro Shamrock Co., Ltd. (now NOF METAL COATINGS ASIA PACIFIC CO., LTD.) establish
1980s
12/1980 Nichiyu Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd. (now NiGK Corporation) established
02/1983 Tsukuba Research Laboratory completed
09/1984 Metal Coatings International Inc. (now NOF METAL COATINGS NORTH AMERICA INC.) established in U.S.A.; DACRAL S.A. (now NOF METAL COATINGS EUROPE S.A.) of France made a subsidiary by the company at the same time.
12/1988 NOF AMERICA CORPORATION established in U.S.A.
1990s
01/1991 German subsidiary Nippon Oil & Fats GmbH established
10/1992 Kamioka Test Center established
02/1994 HOKKAIDO NOF CORPORATION established
07/1994 NOF EUROPE N.V. established in Belgium, and Nippon Oil & Fats GmbH dissolved
11/1994 Head office moved to Yebisu Garden Place Tower, Tokyo
11/1995 PT. NOF MAS CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES set up in Indonesia
02/1996 JAPEX Corp. established
12/1997 Tanegashima Works completed
10/1999 Nippon Koki Co., Ltd. made a subsidiary after acquisition of shares
12/1999 Life Science Products Division set up
2000s
10/2001 DDS Development Department set up
04/2004 All Taseto Co., Ltd. shares sold to Shinko Taseto Co., Ltd.
06/2004 Daishi Plant completed
10/2004 Changshu NOF Chemical Co., Ltd. established in China
10/2004 NICHIYU LOGISTICS CO., LTD. established
03/2005 All shares in BASF NOF Coatings Co., Ltd. sold to BASF Coatings AG
07/2005 DDS plant completed
06/2006 Metal Coatings Group set up
10/2007 Japanese trading name changed to Nichiyu Kabushikigaisha
04/2009 YUKA SANGYO CO., LTD. bought out Nichiyu Solution Inc.
2010s
09/2010 Nichiyu Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd. (now NiGK Corporation) became a wholly owned subsidiary by exchange of shares.
07/2012 Reorganized the research function of Tsukuba Corporate Research Lab. into Advanced Research Technology Lab.
11/2014 NOF EUROPE (BELGIUM) N.V. is moved to Germany, NOF EUROPE GmbH established

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