TANAKA Contributes to Global Vascular, a Medical Venture Company Developing a Stent Delivery System for Lower Limb Atherosclerosis
Strengthening commitment to the medical device field and contributing to the development of the medical device industry in Japan
TOKYO, Dec 12, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Group CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), which develops industrial precious metals products as one of the core companies of TANAKA Precious Metals, announced that it has contributed to Global Vascular Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kenta Bito; COO: Shunto Maegawa), a medical venture company developing a medical device for the treatment of lower limb ischemia that serves as a stent delivery system for lower limb atherosclerosis. This equity infusion represents a direct investment into a company by DMC (Diamond Medino Capital) 1st Fund Investment Limited Partnership – a medical venture capital fund that TANAKA formally committed to supporting in November 2022.
About Global Vascular Co., Ltd.
Global Vascular Co., Ltd. is a medical venture company established in 2022. It is headed by Kenta Bito and Shunto Maegawa, who have been engaged in biomaterials research since 2013 as part of the Hasebe Research Group led by Terumitsu Hasebe, a professor at the Tokai University School of Medicine. Global Vascular Co., Ltd. has pioneered the development of a stent delivery system specifically for the treatment of atherosclerosis in the below-knee region. It is currently attracting worldwide attention as a new treatment method in the growing market for lower limb stents, where there are high hurdles for stent development due to high recurrence rates after treatment.
Background and Aim of Investment
The “Stent Delivery System for Lower Limb Atherosclerosis,” the development business of Global Vascular Co., Ltd., is the culmination of the innovative stent design technology and high-performance surface modification technology pioneered by Mr. Hasebe, a world-class researcher in the development of endovascular treatment devices. TANAKA believes that this contribution will deepen the connection between the development framework lead by Mr. Hasebo and the medical venture ecosystem, in the advancement of endovascular treatment devices.
Representatives Mr. Bito and Mr. Maegawa are the co-developers of the basic technology, as well as the researchers and managers who are expected to become leaders in the lower limb stent market in the future.
Through this contribution, TANAKA aims to broaden its presence in the medical sector by innovating new products and technologies while accumulating knowledge in the stent industry and forming business alliances for the future.
Overview of Global Vascular Co., Ltd.
Representatives: Kenta Bito, Shunto Maegawa Founded: December 12, 2022 Capital: 282 million yen (including capital reserve) Head office: Ichigaya Science and Technology Innovation Center Building 2F, 3-8 Ichigayatamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0843 Business Description: Design and development of medical equipment, research, consulting, etc. Investor: Diamond Medino Capital Inc.
About TANAKA Precious Metals
Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and around the world collaborate and cooperate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,355 employees, the group’s consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, was 680 billion yen.
Global industrial business website https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/
TANAKA Develops First High-Entropy Alloy Powder Comprised Entirely of Precious Metals
With the establishment of five different precious metals alloy powder production methods
TOKYO, Oct 27, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K., a core company of the TANAKA Precious Metals Group, has developed a high-entropy alloy powder composed entirely of precious metals with a fine particle size of 10um or less, high crystallinity and excellent composition uniformity. This is the world’s first high-entropy alloy powder composed entirely of five precious metals: platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and rhodium (Rh). TANAKA has established a mass production process and will provide samples in October.
TANAKA established the five precious metal alloy powders and their production methods used in this product, and obtained a basic patent in June 2023[1]. This product’s precious metal alloy powder comprises only five elements that maintain the corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity and other excellent properties of precious metals. They are micro-order[2] alloy powders that are easy to use in industrial applications.
Unlike conventional nano-order precious metal high-entropy alloys, the new alloy is stable due to its large crystallite size, and it satisfies the inherent requirements of alloys, such as improved mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and controlled thermal expansion. The new alloy powder is expected to improve the functions and properties of precious metal alloys, whose properties vary greatly depending on the composition ratio of the alloy.
TANAKA develops the world’s first high-entropy alloy powder comprised of precious metals [Image: TANAKA Precious Metals]
The precious metal alloy of this product is in powder form, though it can also be utilized in paste form, which is often used in various circuits and sensors, in addition to modelling using a 3D printer and rod forming (forming rod-shaped material by solidifying powder). Furthermore, high-entropy alloys’ high strength and high heat resistance properties are expected to be utilized in catalysts and conductive films that require high durability, among other applications.
[1] Patent No. 7300565 related to high-entropy alloy powder was granted on June 29, 2023. The precious metal alloy powder in this product is defined as (1) precious metal alloy powder consisting of an alloy of five or more precious metal elements, (2) average particle size of 10µm or less, (3) crystallite size of 60nm or more, and (4) one peak observed in the range of diffraction angle 2θ of 38 to 44° in the X-ray diffraction spectrum.
[2] Order: A term used in physics, engineering, and other fields to roughly express the magnitude of a number. It represents the number of digits or degrees of a unit.
Component and surface analysis of high-entropy alloy powder
X-ray diffraction spectra of high-entropy alloy powder and various precious metal powders.
About High-Entropy Alloys
High-entropy alloys contain five or more elements in equal amounts and are characterized by the absence of major elements that make up most of the alloy. They have been attracting attention as a new category of metallic materials in recent years. Research and development on high-entropy alloys is being conducted worldwide, as the properties of the metals and precious metals contained in these alloys can simultaneously produce properties such as high strength, high heat resistance and the possibility of creating new properties.
About TANAKA Precious Metals
Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. For many years, TANAKA has manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry and provided precious metals for jewellery and other assets. As precious metals specialists, Group companies in Japan and worldwide collaborate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,355 employees, the group’s consolidated net sales for the year ending March 31, 2023, was 680 billion yen.
Global industrial business website https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/
TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku Tokyo; Group CEO: Koichiro Tanaka) will provide and donate pure gold, silver, and bronze medals to the top three finishers in the half marathon (elite athletes) and elite para athletes (wheelchair, visual impairment, and upper limb impairment) categories at the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023. The Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 is organized by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, and will be held on October 15, 2023.
*If the top three finishers above have a guide runner, a medal will also be provided to the guide runner.
Medals Using Concentric Circles to Represent a Half Marathon with a Diverse Range of Participants
The Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon medals provided by TANAKA Holdings are made from pure gold, pure silver, and pure bronze—this makes them special and unique among sports medals and rarities of considerable value. The medals presented to the top three finishers are approximately 55 mm in diameter and approximately 2.3 mm thick; the weights of pure gold, pure silver, and pure bronze are approximately 100 grams, 55 grams, and 45 grams, respectively.
The design of the medals and ribbons was inspired by the concept of the event, “to give the extraordinary experience of running to everyone, even those who have never run before.” The medals are decorated with gently curving concentric circles, representing the participation of a diverse range of people and the gentle spread of a ripple-like impact. On the back of the medals, the number 21.0975 km, which is the full distance of the half marathon, and the date of the event are engraved, along with the word “FINISHER.”
About the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023
The Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 is a public participation half marathon (21.0975 km) that is half the distance of the Tokyo Marathon (42.195 km). It was born from the desire to create a half marathon that would give the extraordinary experience of running to everyone. It was named “Legacy” to carry on the momentum of sports and wellness that grew during the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as a legacy and preserve it for many years to come. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games marathon course will be utilized, with the Japan National Stadium at the center of the event. The Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 aims to be an event that anyone can participate in, including top runners, general public runners, and para runners, by meeting the diverse needs of runners due to new lifestyles.
(Reference official website: https://legacyhalf.tokyo/)
TANAKA Precious Metals produces winner medals for the Tokyo Marathon, sponsors various public marathons, supports the promotion of sports for para athletes as an official partner of the Japanese Para Sports Association (JPSA), and also produced and sold official commemorative medals for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics among other activities. The TANAKA Precious Metals will actively continue to produce medals made of precious metals and support the promotion of sports with the aim of contributing to the realization of a prosperous society.
Overview of the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023 Medals
Weight and size – Pure Gold Medal: approx. 100g; approx. 55 mm in diameter and 2.3 mm thick – Pure Silver Medal: approx. 55g; approx. 55 mm in diameter and 2.3 mm thick – Pure Bronze Medal: approx. 45g; approx. 55 mm in diameter and 2.3 mm thick
Race Information of the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon 2023
Organizer
Tokyo Marathon Foundation
Co-organizers
Tokyo Metropolitan Government; JAAF (Japan Association of Athletics Federations); Tokyo Sports Association for the Disabled
Managing Organization
Tokyo Athletics Association
Operation Support
Japan Para Athletics
Supporting Organizations
Japan Industrial Track & Field Association
Official Partners
Sky Co., Ltd.; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; ASICS Japan Corp;
Japan National Stadium (Kasumigaoka-machi, Shinjuku, Tokyo)
About the Tanaka Precious Metals
Since its foundation in 1885, Tanaka Precious Metals has built a diversified range of business activities focused on precious metals. Tanaka is a leader in Japan in terms of the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, Tanaka Precious Metals has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and resources. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies within and outside Japan work together with unified cooperation between manufacturing, sales, and technological aspects to offer products and services. In addition, in order to make further progress in globalization, TANAKA Precious Metals welcomed Metalor Technologies International SA as a member of the Group in 2016. As precious metal professionals, Tanaka Precious Metals will continue to contribute to the development of an enriching and prosperous society.
Press Inquiries TANAKA Holdings Co., Ltd. Corporate Communications & Advertising Department Corporate Sustainability & Communications Division Person in Charge: Fukuzono, Suda 22F, Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo MAIL: media-info@ml.tanaka.co.jp
TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Group CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), which operates an industrial precious metals business as a core company of TANAKA Precious Metals, announced today that it has signed a technical assistance agreement with Chengdu Guangming Paite Precious Metal Co., Ltd., an affiliated company in China, in the area of fuel cell electrode catalyst manufacturing technologies.
Electrode catalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEFCs)
As part of the agreement, production equipment will be installed at the plant of Ya’an Guangming Paite Precious Metal Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Chengdu Guangming Paite Precious Metal, with plans to start full-scale production in the summer of 2024. The companies also plan to start production of fuel cell electrode catalysts for the Chinese market by the end of 2025. As a member of TANAKA and with the leading share of the global market for fuel cell electrode catalysts, TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo aims to use this agreement to meet the growing domestic demand for fuel cell electrode catalysts in China.
TANAKA’s Fuel Cell Electrode Catalysts
TANAKA’s FC Catalyst Development Center, within its Shonan Plant, is currently developing and manufacturing electrode catalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEFCs) and polymer electrolyte water electrolysis (PEWE). The company sells highly active, highly durable platinum catalysts and platinum alloy catalysts for PEFC cathodes[1], highly CO-tolerant platinum alloy catalysts and OER catalysts[2] for PEFC anodes[3], and iridium oxide catalysts for PEWE anodes.
PEFCs are used in applications such as fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and residential-use fuel cells (ENE-FARM), with their use expected to expand in the future to also include buses, trucks, and other commercial vehicles, forklifts and other material handling vehicles, heavy construction machines, robots and other industrial machines, and large stationary equipment. Compact, lightweight, high-output PEFCs employ a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to generate power, which will make them important devices for the global environment of the future.
One major issue facing the full-scale use of fuel cell batteries is the cost of the platinum they use. TANAKA has been researching precious metal catalysts for more than 40 years, resulting in the development of catalysts that use smaller amounts of precious metals while achieving high performance and high durability. By studying new carrier materials and catalyst post-processing methods and producing more active metal species, the company is currently developing catalysts that are even more suitable for use in fuel cells.
Trends in the Global Fuel Cell Market
In China, government policy continues to drive the development of hydrogen energy and FCVs as strategic industries. The Chinese government is implementing a range of support measures to promote research and development and the expanded use of fuel cell battery technologies. It is also driving the development and adoption of FCVs through subsidies, tax incentives, and other efforts. With other measures, including the development of hydrogen supply infrastructure in cities and along major traffic routes, the country’s fuel cell market is expected to grow even further going forward.
In Europe and the United States as well, governments are promoting zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)[4]. In the EU, as part of the Fit for 55 package of climate change measures adopted by the European Union in April 2023, a bill was adopted to require new passenger vehicles and small commercial vehicles to be zero-emission, in principle, from 2035. (The sale of new vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines will only be accepted after 2035 if they use synthetic fuels (e-fuels)[5].) In the US as well, an executive order was issued in 2021 to require 50% of new car sales to be electric by 2030.
In Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has been meeting with representatives of the hydrogen supply industry, automobile manufacturers, logistics companies, local governments, and others since September 2022 to discuss the expanded use of hydrogen in mobility. In an interim summary of discussions in July 2023, it announced that the selection of priority areas for early adoption of trucks and buses that use fuel cells to run will be finalized before the end of this year.
TANAKA will continue to focus on research and development while working to achieve stable supplies of fuel cell electrode catalysts, and as the leading company in the area of fuel cell electrode catalysts, it aims to contribute toward the expansion of fuel cell use and realization of a hydrogen society.
[1] Cathodes: Hydrogen-generation electrodes (air poles) where oxygen reduction reactions take place. This assumes that hydrogen-generation electrodes are being used for water electrolysis (PEWE).
[2] OER catalysts: Catalysts that activate oxygen evolution reactions.
[3] Anodes: Oxygen-generation electrodes (fuel poles) where hydrogen oxidation reactions take place. This assumes that hydrogen-generation electrodes are being used for water electrolysis (PEWE).
[4] Zero-emission vehicles: Electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) that emit no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases during operation. In the United States, plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) are also considered to be ZEVs.
[5] E-fuels: Petroleum-alternative fuels produced in a chemical reaction between carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2).
About TANAKA Precious Metals
Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and around the world collaborate and cooperate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,355 employees, the group’s consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, was 680 billion yen.
Global industrial business website https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/
TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Koichiro Tanaka), which develops the manufacturing business of TANAKA Precious Metals, and TANAKA Denshi Kogyo K.K. (Head office: Kanzaki-gun, Saga Prefecture; Representative Director & CEO: Toshiya Yamamoto), is pleased to announce that it will participate in “PCIM Europe 2023,” the industry’s largest international trade fair dedicated to power electronics and their fields of application, to be held from Tuesday, May 9 to Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Nuremberg, Germany. TANAKA will participate in this exhibition for the first time and will exhibit power devices (power semiconductors) and power device assembly-related components on panels.
The main exhibited products will be bonding products such as “Al wires and ribbons” and “Cu wires and ribbons,” which are metals that electrically connect semiconductor chips and external electrodes. Additional products include “active metal brazing material/copper composite,” which can be applied to ceramic circuit boards for power devices and heat dissipation components such as heat sinks.
In the power device field, there is a demand for higher output and higher efficiency. In addition to high heat dissipation, high heat resistance, and high bonding reliability for each component, urgent development is needed for materials that can be further miniaturized. By taking advantage of the precious metal technology it has cultivated over many years, TANAKA Precious Metals Group will continue to contribute to further technological innovation and meet a wide variety of needs in the power device and power device assembly fields, which are expected to become even more sophisticated in the future.
PCIM Europe 2023 Exhibition Outline – Exhibition Title: PCIM (Power Conversion Intelligent Motion) Europe 2023 – Dates: May 9 (Tues.) – May 11 (Thurs.) 2023, 9:00-17:00 *German local time – Venue: Nuremberg Messe (Nuremberg, Germany) – Official Site: https://pcim.mesago.com/nuernberg/en.html *Only English and German sites are available – Exhibitor: TANAKA Kikinzoku International (Europe) GmbH (A TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. overseas office) – Booth Number: Hall 9, 632 – Main Exhibited Products: Al wire, Al ribbon, Cu wire, Cu ribbon, active metal brazing materials, etc.
For details of each product, please refer to the following URLs.
Various Bonding Products https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/products/detail/bonding-wires/
Active Brazing Filler Metals https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/products/detail/active-brazing-for-brazing-filler-metals/
TANAKA Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K. – Headquarters: 22F, Tokyo Building, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo – Representative: Koichiro Tanaka, Representative Director & CEO – Founded: 1885 – Incorporated: 1918 – Capital: 500 million yen – Employees: 2,429 (including overseas subsidiaries) (March 31, 2022) – Sales: 389,646,820,000 yen* (FY2021) – Main businesses: Manufacture, sales, import and export of precious metals (platinum, gold, silver, and others) and various types of industrial precious metals products. * Due to the adoption of the Accounting Standard for Revenue Recognition from FY2021, the net amount is given for the net sales of some transactions.
TANAKA Denshi Kogyo K.K. – Head office: 2303-15, Yoshida, Yoshinogari-cho, Kanzaki-gun, Saga – Representative Director & CEO: Toshiya Yamamoto – Established: 1961 – Capital: JPY 1,880 million – Sales: JPY 33,161,116,000 (FY2021) – Employees: 845 (including overseas subsidiaries) (March 31, 2022) – Main businesses: Manufacturing of high-purity bonding wires
About TANAKA Precious Metals
Since its foundation in 1885, TANAKA Precious Metals has built a portfolio of products to support a diversified range of business uses focused on precious metals. TANAKA is a leader in Japan regarding the volumes of precious metals handled. Over the course of many years, TANAKA has not only manufactured and sold precious metal products for industry but also provided precious metals in such forms as jewelry and assets. As precious metals specialists, all Group companies in Japan and around the world collaborate and cooperate on manufacturing, sales, and technology development to offer a full range of products and services. With 5,225 employees, the Group’s consolidated net sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, were 787.7 billion yen.* *From the current consolidated fiscal year, the amounts of sales for some transactions are indicated as net values due to the application of the Accounting Standard for Revenue Recognition.
Global industrial business website https://tanaka-preciousmetals.com/en/
