Denka will advance the acquisition of intellectual property, improve the value of intangible assets of the Group and utilize intellectual property information in decision-making situations (IP landscape*) in creating new businesses with the three elements of Specialty, Megatrends, and Sustainability through business portfolio transformation, and in developing new markets through co-creation with other companies.

• * An integrated analysis of a company’s and its peers’ intellectual property and markets. The information gleaned from this analysis can be used for the advantage of management strategies.

During the period of the previous management plan “Denka Value-Up” (2018–2022), Denka increased its overseas patent ratio in line with the globalization of its operations and proceeded to build the intellectual property portfolio necessary for each business.
Furthermore, to contribute to the transformation of its business portfolio, Denka introduced IP landscape activities in 2021 to make more efficient use of acquired intellectual assets.
To achieve the goals of the management plan “Mission 2030”, Denka will strengthen its management foundation and promote the following intellectual property activities to contribute to business value creation.
① Acquiring and utilizing intangible assets to promote business
② Providing information useful for selecting collaborative partners and M&A candidates
③ Implementing IP landscape activities for new business creation

Figure 1 shows the number and ratio of patents held at Denka in Japan and overseas. Overseas patents accounted for 55.7% of Denka’s patents at the end of March 2022 (48.5% at the end of March 2017).

Figure 2 shows the number of domestic and overseas patents held in each business. The Elastomers & Infrastructure Solutions Department has a high percentage of domestic patents because it operates primarily in the domestic market for infrastructure-related businesses. On the other hand, the Electronics & Innovative Products and Life Innovation Departments are expanding their business globally and are thus have an increasing ratio of overseas patents.
Additionally, the number of overseas patents we hold for research that is expected to yield results from a long-term perspective, such as basic research and next-generation research themes, is increasing in anticipation of future markets. Going forward, we will use our IP landscape initiatives to differentiate ourselves by utilizing intangible assets and actively seek partners who can take advantage of Denka’s strengths, with the aim of creating new markets and expanding existing ones.