Nordson to provide direct extrusion die sales, manufacturing in Asia

Nordson Corp. has purchased certain assets of Kodama Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., a licensed distributor for Nordson’s EDI business in Japan for 20 years, and will draw on the organization’s extensive technical and manufacturing capabilities to establish a new division to supply and support its extrusion die customers in Japan and Taiwan and provide remanufacturing services there and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Nordson Corporation acquired EDI in June of this year.

“By establishing a new division in Japan, we will help customers in the Asia-Pacific to maximize productivity and reduce downtime by having regional access to support and remanufacturing services.”

The new division, Nordson EDI Japan, will provide new-die sales to extrusion processors, web converters, and OEMs in Japan and Taiwan and carry out final manufacturing steps on new equipment to enhance die performance and accommodate local requirements. Included will be the full range of Nordson EDI flat dies, feedblocks, and related equipment for film, sheet, extrusion coating, and fluid coating. Die remanufacturing will be available to customers throughout the Asia-Pacific region from a fully-equipped facility in Saitama, Japan.

Nordson has appointed Hidemaro Takehara, until now head of Kodama’s sales team, to be the general manager of Nordson EDI Japan. Mr. Takehara will lead an experienced group of selected Kodama employees, long familiar to customers in the region, that are expected to join Nordson EDI Japan to continue operations of the new organization. Sales and customer support staff have relocated to a new office in Tokyo.

“Nordson EDI recognizes that, for extrusion processors and web converters, every day of lost production time means a substantial reduction in the output of saleable goods,” said Godfrey M. Sandham, vice president and general manager of Nordson EDI. “By establishing a new division in Japan, we will help customers in the Asia-Pacific to maximize productivity and reduce downtime by having regional access to support and remanufacturing services.”

Nordson EDI Japan will work with its network of agents in the Asia-Pacific region. Customers in China will continue to obtain sales and remanufacturing services from Nordson EDI Precision Dies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which recently moved to a new, larger facility.