Himeji Plant

Plant Manager	Kazuto Okazaki, Executive Officer
Location	992-1 Aza-Nishioki, Okinohama, Aboshi-ku, Himeji, Hyogo
Number of employees	1,263 (including research center) (As of March 31, 2025)
Products	Acrylic acid, acrylates, maleic anhydride, superabsorbent polymers, resin modifiers, electronic information materials, De-NOx catalysts, dioxins decomposition catalysts, and other products

FY2024 Results of RC Activities

Occupational safety and health	One injury with lost workdays, four injuries without lost workdays (including contractors)
Process safety and disaster prevention	Zero Class A process safety accidents, one Class B process safety accident
Environmental protection	Implemented measures for energy conservation amounting to about 4,500 kL/year (crude oil equivalent)

In process safety and disaster prevention, we have been working on preventing process safety accidents caused by human error under the initiative called “Safety Reform 2025” since the second half of FY2023. Activities such as promoting speaking up, asking questions, watching over others, and holding interdepartmental meetings have contributed to the development of a safety culture where employee helps each other. As a result, process safety accidents decreased in FY2024. Additionally, there have been positive impacts such as reductions in occupational injuries and quality issues. We will continue this initiative in FY2025.
In environmental protection, we have continued material recycling of waste plastics. Over 500 tons of waste plastics were recycled for new uses in FY2024. Additionally, we have been continuing energy conservation activities aimed at contributing to carbon neutrality, achieving energy savings that significantly exceed our targets in recent years.
We will continue to improve our safety capacity and respond flexibly to changes in society to build a manufacturing plant trusted by stakeholders.

Safety II initiative

Interviews conducted by the experts revealed that safety rules and basic safety behaviors were not always followed at the production site. Additionally, it was pointed out that each time an issue occurred, new rules were added, making work more difficult, and there was dissatisfaction with the lack of attention to rule violators, leading to decreased motivation. Therefore, we started a Safety II initiative that not only focuses on enforcing rules but also highlights the behaviors of people who can flexibly respond to various situations and disseminates these behaviors horizontally to encourage autonomous judgment and actions among employees.
Specifically, we are promoting activities such as the “compliment activity,” where employees who demonstrate safe behaviors are voted for and recognized, and sharing the behavioral characteristics and thought processes of those who quickly identify and resolve equipment issues as success tips within the plant.
We will continue to improve these initiatives and work towards preventing occupational injuries and issues.

Non-technical skills training

Many occupational injuries are caused by human error, and approximately 80% of these are due to a lack of non-technical skills. Non-technical skills, in contrast to technical skills which involve specialized knowledge and expertise, include human skills such as situational judgment, communication ability, leadership, and teamwork. At the Himeji Plant, we conduct non-technical skills training using a simulated plant to improve the skills of younger employees. Since FY2023, we have expanded these training opportunities to Group companies as well. Participants have expressed a renewed recognition of the necessity of non-technical skills and the importance of communication.
We will continue to enhance the program content and facilities to ensure the steady improvement of the skills of younger employees.

Plant Data