On October 18, Air Water (Chairman: Masahiro Toyoda) signed an agreement for capital and business tie-up with Ci Medical (President & CEO: Kiyoto Shimizu, headquartered in Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture with a capital of 10 million yen listed in TOKYO PRO Market) and acquired 39.9% ownership as an equity method affiliate.

Ci Medical was started by President Shimizu of former dentist in 2000 to engage in the business of selling dental supplies like tooth brush on the internet and catalogue sales. The latest sales amounted to about 17.9 billion yen (of the term ending December 2015). It is said that the 40% out of the lineup of about 30 thousand items is PB (private branded) products.

Aiming for an accomplishment of 1 trillion yen sales in 2020, AW is now striving to develop new businesses all over the company. The target is oriented to something related to the living of human as a theme.

The conventional medical business done by the company has been focused on the B to B business mainly with medical institutes including the medical services like medical gas or equipment, sterilization and SPD. However, the company is proceeding with an approach to the field of healthcare in order to expand the business furthermore.

Kikuo Toyoda of representative director & vice president heading the medical company clearly said, “The Medication for Living stands for the medical services to enable the regional residents to live in good health. Our development in this field is indispensable for raising our medical business to a level of 200 billion yen in 2020 from the current 135 billion yen.”

Mr. Toyoda estimates 60 to 70 billion yen for the field out of the target of 200 billion yen. Based on such aspect, he said, “In the field of mail order sales of the dental-related business we expect that the tie-up with Ci Medical having the merchandize developing power and net sales knowhow will bring us a way for the first step toward a B to C business.”