“On April 1, Iwatani implemented a corporate restructuring revealing what kind of business Iwatani will be aiming at in the future. The following are the 2 items regarding its current personnel structure.

One of these involves the establishment of a new helium department within its industrial gas business. Other businesses such as the air gas and carbon dioxide businesses have been reorganized into its industrial gas business. Together with the existing hydrogen department, this was something which showed the expansion of the helium and hydrogen businesses in which Iwatani is strongly positioned. Helium is an indispensible gas in the refrigerant for superconductivity, application of which is anticipated in the areas of electric power cables and electric power storage. Hydrogen too has reached the point where it is finally going into full swing use in the energy area, including use with fuel cell vehicles. These 2 products, which could be called the media which link gas and energy, may be considered as being part of a structural innovation which embodies the gas and energy business concept of the company.

The electronic and machinery division were abolished and incorporated into the industrial gases and welding materials division which was turned into industrial gases and machinery business group.

In addition, the company came out with an expansion of its R&D activity with the completion in May of this year of the new research and development center, called the R&D Center (Amagasaki). Shinji Murai was called up to become the first director of research and development. He is a world authority in the field of organics, and was a Nobel Prize candidate. Including people from the group company Iwatani Industrial Gases, a staff was put together for the technology development department. The company is aiming at a full blown embodiment of “Iwatani Technology” in preparation for the new energy age, which will include liquid hydrogen. What can be glimpsed here is a stance which will tackle research and development head on.”