TIANJIN FUKUSUKE INDUSTRY, the 1st trial of FUKUSUKE KOGYO to produce over-seas, has been enjoying its production merit in China since the start of mill onMarch, 1996. Its production capacity is 300 tons/month, and the most of the products is exported to Japanese market.

OKURA KOGYO set on a joint company in a special developing area of industryin China with a view to both maufacturing and sales of OPP shrink film(Polypro- pylene heat shrink film). It plans to produce 1000 tons/year for the demand of Chinese domestic market in food packaging field, for example, cupped dry noodle,soft drink and others.

TORAY intends investing 5 billion Yen to the affiliated firm, TORAY PLASTIC AMERICA, in order to establish extra in-line plant system of biaxially oriented PP film(OPP). Manufactuirng capacity is supposed to be 14.4 thousand tons/year.

SHIMOMURA GOBAKU SHOKAI, INAHATA SANGYO and NOBUKKUS CORP.

3 companies above tied up with a Vietnamese film manufacturer and built a joint-plant of blown films. The corporate's name is SAIGON DARYAR PLASTIC. It is estimated that 180 tons of films will be produced per month with 100 employees.

AICELLO KAGAKU KOGYO and a Korean chemical company founded a joint firm, AICELLO-BIRIN CHEMICAL, in Korea on April 17. It started mass-production of plastic containers safe for high-purity chemicals for semi-conductor industry.

SHINWA KIKAI exports rice-aseptic-packaging plants to a Korean major food company, DAIICHI SEITO(Seoul). The plants produce easy-to-cook rice plates which are microwavable. The amount is 500 million Yen(aprx. 4.7 million USD) inthis trade contract. To scale up PET film business

TOYO BOSEKI plans to invest 8 billion Yen(aprx. 75 million USD) so as to reinforce its production lines of PET film at Tsuruga plant(Tsuruga City, Fukui)by the end of 1997. OEM in foreign country has already been on operation.

NIKKA RESIN threw a new water-cooled blown film, "High-S-VPP", into the market. It is expected for substitute of PVC film due to the transparency, pli-ability and luster almost equal to ones of PVC. The VPP is also durable againstimpact in low temperature.

MEIWA PACKS said that it would install a second equipment of vacuum deposition in its mill in Hyogo. It increases manufacturing of Super-High-Barrier-Deposition films, ATAC "FBK", and its production capacity of films in total is to be up to 10 million ‡u per month. The equipment is of MITSUBISHI HEAVY IN- DUSTRY.

DICELL KAGAKU KOGYO succeeded in commercializing bio-degradable plastic, PCA and PCL. The product is named "Cell-Green", diposable through microorganismin soil, water and compost.

SEKISUI KASEIHIN KOGYO invented new plastic sheet and packing material, "SEKISUI ES Sheet" and "SEKISUI ES Pack" for fruits-packaging, made from used PET bottles. SEKISUI's special Multilayer-Extruding technology realized the production in commercial base.

MITSUI BUSSAN and AZUMA KOGYO tied up and completed "HP Bottle", whose material is all fluoride resin. It is regarded heavy-duty container for high-purity chemicals.

TANAKAYA attracts the market's attention by its new product, Corru-Pad which is a piled buffer of carton-laminates, as Eco-oriented stuff. Unlike an ordinary PS-foamed buffer, it is hardly damaged by shocks and easy to change thickness in order to accept various shapes, weight, and characteristics of contents.

Mineral water in PET bottles is on increase demand in the market, and its annual growth rate of the market is 30%. In this market, the trend is its higher import rate, sharing 25%.

Promotional committee of aluminum cans' recycle in MITI(Ministry of International Trade and Industry) presented an actionplan that it would pursue establishing 70% of recycling rate by 2000.

KIRIN BEER decided to cover all sizes, 750 ml and 1000 ml included, of beer cans with SOT(Stay-On-Tub) caps in order to reduce cans' caps waste caused by pull-up style ever before. This is the 1st trial among all domestic companies.

Digital-gravure-engraving system, VALCUS, of DAINIPPON SCREEN MFG. has already counted the sales of 27 sets since its market presentation in Oct., 1993, and also is supposed to be exported in near future.

KYOEI started manufacturing of gravure printing equipments on commercial basis. It activates sales promotion in pursuit of 180 colors per year.

Since OKURA YUSOKI arranged a branch, OKURA FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION SYSTEM, in Singapore as marketing strategy of South-East Asia, it has been keeping favorable condition in current business.

RYUTU SYSTEM KAIHATU CENTER, NIHON HYAKKATEN KYOKAI(Japan shopping malls' association) and NIHON CHAIN STORE KYOKAI(Japan association of chain stores) suggested a standardization plan including JAN digital coding and labeling system, and the plan is requesting application to non-registered goods and imported ones as well.

ARITA KYOSEN introduced color-grading sorter and automatic packaging/deli- very system based on 2-dimensional coding method, Karura Code, and started oranges' shipment.

SEMBA SYSTEM presented a new blister packer model, "BPM-3315", to realize more efficiency and safety. This model covers substantial proccessing from vacuum foaming to sealing(also, easy-to-dettach devicing on film available) in a line unit.

JCBM '96 OSAKA(10th) opened on June 13 - 16 at INTEX OSAKA. The exhibitionconsisited of exhibitors of 80 companies and 670 boothes and provided new information and valuable opportunities to foreign(esp. Asian) visitors as well as Japanese.