Solder-resist leader Taiyo expands to solar energy and pharmaceuticals as it seeks further innovations

Even the most hi-tech gadget can only be as good as its components. Whether it is a smart phone, laptop, in-vehicle electronics or digital household appliance, every device begins with a printed circuit board (PCB) that enables power and signal transmission.

“To ensure proper functionality and durability of any device, the PCB must be protected from oxidation and accidental electrical connection between components – a crucial task carried out by the little-known but essential ingenuity called solder-resist,” says Eiji Sato, CEO of Taiyo Holdings.

Taiyo commands more than 60 per cent of the global solder-resist market. Starting with printing-ink manufacturing in the 1950s, the company developed into a pioneer in the solder-resist field and obtained the dominant patent for the technology in the 1980s. It still retains the loyalty of nearly all industry leaders that use PCBs, even after years following the patent’s expiry.

Applied in a wide variety of equipment, the company’s expertise in solder-resist technology has launched products as far as the outer space – in rockets. It also positioned Taiyo as a global market leader and allowed it to expand to other chemical materials for the electronics industry, including flat-panel plasma display materials.

“The key is to think not only how our customers do, but how they will think in the next three years or so,” Sato says. “It is a challenge because even they often do not foresee the trends that far ahead, but Taiyo’s intense research and development efforts ensure that we keep a finger on the pulse of the market.”