CBC will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025. The Chemicals & Materials Division, which has the longest history in the company, has undergone some organizational changes in 2024, with its "1st Group" based in Tokyo changing its name to the "Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit."

The main role of this unit within the division is to launch new businesses, and it is currently focusing on "providing high value-added services" through sales activities for highly functional products. We will introduce the highly functional products that the Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit is currently selling and their sales activities.

Changing Business Environment and New Values that Can Be Provided by Trading Companies

Since companies conduct purchasing activities with the goal of purchasing products “faster and more cheaply,” transaction costs incurred through trading companies are considered “extra” and are subject to cost cutting. As the environment becomes more favorable for producers and sellers to transact directly without the need for intermediate adjustments, the advantage of trading companies performing "intermediate" procedures is gradually disappearing.

Given these changes in purchasing activities, what kind of role should trading companies aim to play going forward?

As the backbone of CBC, which specializes in chemical products, the Chemicals & Materials Division (referred to as the “CM Division”), has been handling mainly "general-purpose products" that have a wide range of applications, such as chemical products and electronic materials. In recent years, the division has also been focusing on "providing high value-added services through highly functional products" as a new way to demonstrate the "value of a trading company" in response to changes in the business environment.

"UV Adhesives" Enable High-Precision, High-Quality Processing

One of the products that the "Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit," which has been newly established in the CM Division, is especially focusing on now is UV curing adhesives (referred to as “UV adhesives”).

While UV adhesives are highly functional, they are very expensive and therefore mainly used only in limited applications where “UV adhesives are essential.” They are typically used in optical modules installed in electronic devices such as smartphones and cars.

The advantages of UV adhesives, which can handle high-precision processing, are indispensable for products that require delicate processing. There are also many cases where UV adhesives are appropriate for handling products that are sensitive to heat, such as electronic devices.

DYMAX, a Pioneer in UV Adhesives, Its Technology and Policies

The UV adhesives handled by the CM Division's Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit are manufactured by DYMAX, which is headquartered in the U.S. The company, which has a history of around 40 years, is a “leading company in UV adhesives,” so to speak, with a broad track record in the field of cutting-edge technology.

It is even developing its own UV irradiators and adhesive applicators to be used with adhesives, as well as semiconductors built into various devices.

Furthermore, the company spares no effort in "maximizing the value chain through UV adhesives," such as proposing processing processes centered on UV adhesives and providing thorough support for introducing its own products to users.

Another feature of DYMAX is that it offers a wide range of grades (standards) of UV adhesives.

DYMAX’s unique technology, which enables users to visually check that the adhesive has completely hardened, is an advantage not found in other products. The quality of its products is recognized around the world, and DYMAX’s products account for a third of the UV adhesive market share in the global medical field.

CBC’s Proposal Capabilities Support Domestic Sales of Highly Functional Products

CBC is the distributor of DYMAX’s products in Japan, and the Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit is responsible for this role. It is mainly responsible for domestic marketing and sales activities, introducing products and proposing solutions tailored to customers to expand their market.

The reality is that while general-purpose products are familiar to buyers, few people know about the existence of highly functional products. Even if a product is of high quality, it will not reach those who need it unless the seller undertakes appropriate activities. This is where our strengths, namely, our “deep understanding of products” and our proposal capabilities based on our knowledge as a distributor, can be of service.

CBC employees who are responsible for selling UV adhesives must not only have a thorough knowledge of DYMAX and its UV adhesives, but also be prepared to explain their features and functions.

The Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit is creating opportunities to learn about its products, such as visiting DYMAX and communicating with local engineers to deepen understanding of the products and conducting training and testing sessions for sales staff. This kind of careful product input is essential to confidently and adequately explain the strengths, features and optimal uses of the products.

CBC also has in-depth knowledge of the “manufacturing site” and expertise in solving issues accumulated through its dealings with many customers. Our deep understanding of the "market" and "buyers" that we have gained through our involvement with the issues and concerns of domestic manufacturers supports “CBC’s proposal capabilities" for the sale of highly functional products.

Change in Sales Style Leads to New Business Opportunities

According to a representative of the Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit, the sales style for highly functional, high value-added products such as UV adhesives is quite different from that for general-purpose products. The main characteristic is that the sales process is "seller-driven."

As highly functional products with unique features provide customers with "solutions that can only be realized with those products," we are able to conduct sales activities based on the strength of the product and our proposal capabilities rather than on price or the relationship with the buyer. Although the style of selling products that cannot be replaced by other products at a fair price requires employees to have high skills, it also reduces the burden of sales activities.

As a result of conducting sales activities tailored to highly functional products using both on-site and digital methods, there has been an increase in opportunities to meet with companies with whom we had not done business before or customers in the industry where DYMAX has no experience.

New initiatives triggered by highly functional products are leading to new business opportunities. "High value-added solution proposals" that combine the strengths of a trading company with the power of its products are creating a virtuous cycle for CBC.

We Want to Pursue a Sales Style that Excels in Expertise

The challenge of the CM Division's Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit in the highly functional and high value-added field is also directed towards product fields other than UV adhesives.

One such product is “ChromaFlair,” a paint that changes color depending on the viewing angle. Products of overseas manufacturers we are also handling as a sales agent in addition to UV adhesives include a special pigment that improves visibility not only to the human eye but also to sensors that use laser light. Our "high value-added solution proposals," which deliver highly functional products combined with CBC’s proposal capabilities, are also offered in fields other than UV adhesives.

Also, when handling general-purpose products, "there are still many ways to demonstrate the value of a trading company depending on how we sell them," says a representative of the Electronic Materials and Functional Chemicals Unit.

For instance, when importing products from overseas companies, not only interpreters but also information gathering on the company and country from which the products are imported, import procedures and trade finance for raising funds, as well as other procedures such as marketing in Japan are essential. Even when exporting products overseas, "someone" who handles similar procedures is necessary. Coordination of buying and selling in the trading business is another valuable role of trading companies.

In order for CBC and its CM Division to realize future development as a chemical trading company, it will be essential to provide high value-added services in both fields—highly functional and general-purpose products.

To achieve this, we need to be sensitive to changes in the business environment, and each employee engaged in sales activities must have knowledge and expertise. "The proposal capability of a trading company" will become indispensable in the future to provide high value-added services. It is "people with thorough expertise" who explore business possibilities in new fields and produce results.