Kuala Lumpur, 6 December 2016: The 18th Malaysia-Japan International Institute Of Technology (MJIIT), Leadership Lecture Series by Dato’ Akihiro Nikkaku, President of Toray Industries Inc. Japan was held today at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Kuala Lumpur. YB Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh, Minister of Higher Education was among the distinguished guests. Dato’ Akihiro Nikkaku obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degree in engineering from the University of Tokyo. Joined Toray Industries, Inc. as an engineer in 1973, Officer of Toray Industries, and later served as Toray’s Chief Executive Officer from June, 2011.
Under Dato’ Nikkaku’s leadership, he developed the long-term corporate vision, “AP-Growth TORAY 2020 (Action Program for Growth of Toray towards year 2020)”, in line with Toray’s Corporate Philosophy, “Contributing to society through the creation of new value with innovative ideas, technologies and products”. Consequently, Toray group has shown significant growth globally, contributing to the advancement of business, industry and technological advancement in the twenty-six (26) countries and regions. To date, Toray is a top global company in advanced materials, offering products that broadly and intimately impact our daily lives, such as high functional fibers/textiles, engineered plastics/films, carbon fibers, pharmaceuticals, water treatment membranes, etc. Toray makes substantial investments worldwide, including in the ASEAN countries.
In Malaysia, Toray has injected some RM5 billion worth of investments into Toray Malaysia since 1972. It operates eight (8) manufacturing plants in Penang under Penfabric, Penfibre and Toray Plastics (Malaysia), and one (1) joint-venture company, Toray BASF PBT Resin, in Kuantan, Pahang. In line with the Group’s CSR initiatives, Toray established the Malaysia Toray Science Foundation (MTSF) with an endowment of RM4.0 million from Toray in 1993, to further promote the development of science and technology in Malaysia. Supported by yearly cash contributions from Toray Malaysia, MTSF has awarded some RM14.5 million in cash awards, research grants and prizes to over five hundred (500) Malaysian scientists, researchers and science teachers over the last twenty-three (23) years.
Toray Malaysia collaborates closely with local Malaysian universities onacademic, industrial and R&D engagements. In 2013, Dato’ Nikkaku consented to the construction of the four-storey “TORAY-USM Knowledge Transfer Centre” at USM for graduate research and networking to preserveand promote the local knowledge, culture, tradition, heritage, environment and other related matters.