Research into functional wood-based materials, quality improvement, new applications, and the recycling of unused wood and discarded products

「In structural applications, the April 2025 amendment to the Building Standards Act revised the types of buildings specified in Article 6, paragraph 1, item 4 of the Act, and raised the upper limit for the wall multiplier from 5 to 7 to rationalize wall calculation methods. The company views this as a new opportunity to expand its market. Leveraging the results of its research and development into high-density fiberboard and specialty screws under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Housing Production Technology Innovation Promotion Project from fiscal 2022 through fiscal 2024, the company is actively pursuing technological development aimed at expanding into the residential and non-residential markets following the legislative amendment.」

「Research and development expenses for the interim accounting period were ¥45 million.」

「As research into the sustainable use of unused materials, the company is researching PANECOⓇ fiberboard made from discarded clothing fibers. In addition to contributing significantly to solving fashion waste, the research aims to establish a new circular system that minimizes waste through horizontal recycling by collecting the product again after use. The company filed a patent application in March 2024 for the technologies obtained through this research, “Method for Manufacturing Fiberboard, Fiberboard, and Fiberboard Manufacturing System,” and received a decision to grant the patent in March 2025.」

「The development project supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Housing Production Technology Innovation Promotion Project, which the company had pursued for 3 years from fiscal 2022 (Reiwa 4), was successfully completed in March 2025. Against the backdrop of social challenges such as population decline and the realization of a decarbonized society, the subsidy program aims to develop and demonstrate new technologies and services that improve productivity in the design, construction, and maintenance of housing and buildings, and is consistent with the company's development concept described above.」

「Research and development expenses for the interim accounting period were ¥48 million.」

「Testing a 9 mm laminated MDF made by laminating two 4.5 mm sheets, together with custom screws, as a structural wall confirmed excellent performance equivalent to a wall multiplier of 7 at screw spacing of 150 mm. On a simple comparison, the result indicated the possibility of reducing the number of nails required under the notified specifications for conventional 9 mm structural MDF by approximately 70%, demonstrating one potential way to reduce labor hours.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month period were ¥78 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month period were ¥40 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the three-month period were ¥17 million.」

「The company established “Development of Building Components Using High-Density Wood Fiber and Examination of Construction Methods” as its theme and launched a project spanning 3 fiscal years from 2022 to 2024. In the first year, the company primarily worked to demonstrate the densification of fiberboard. Following the review, continuation into the following year was approved.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month period were ¥46 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month period were ¥28 million.」

「During the fiscal year, the company focused on expanding the applications of structural Starwood, which had primarily been manufactured and sold for structural wall applications, to roof sheathing and subflooring. For both applications, the company obtained evaluations of the floor load-bearing ratio and completed installation manuals. As a result, the products were recognized as equivalent to the roof sheathing and subflooring materials specified under the Act on the Promotion of Quality Assurance of Housing, making it possible to obtain seismic resistance ratings.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month consolidated period were ¥43 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month consolidated period were ¥27 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the three-month consolidated period were ¥13 million.」

「During the consolidated fiscal year, the company introduced softwood as a raw material for flooring MDF, the main application of Starwood TFB. After presenting production-equipment prototypes to users, incorporating their feedback from prototype evaluations, and making repeated improvements, the product was adopted. For roof sheathing, a new application following MDF's use in structural walls and subflooring, the number of buildings adopting the product increased with continued support from builders who recognized MDF's excellent moisture permeability. For subflooring, the company produced an improved prototype addressing the stiffness limitation of the conventional product and reached the stage at which it could present the product to users.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month period were ¥31 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month period were ¥20 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the three-month period were ¥10 million.」

「For the ongoing wood-fiber insulation material project, the company conducted prototype production using production equipment and reached the stage at which it could present the product to users. For residential roof sheathing, builders who supported the project after recognizing MDF's excellent moisture permeability adopted the product for a total of 4 houses. For residential subflooring, the company is preparing to obtain an evaluation of the floor load-bearing ratio under the Act on the Promotion of Quality Assurance of Housing.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month period were ¥38 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month period were ¥24 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the three-month period were ¥12 million.」

「During the fiscal year, the company improved the productivity of products for veneer applications to levels comparable with those of its other flooring products by improving a specialty additive. In the new fiscal year, in addition to continuing the development of wood-fiber insulation materials using MDF wood-fiber forming technology, the company will work on developing MDF for roof sheathing and thick MDF for subflooring to expand applications.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month period were ¥45 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month period were ¥31 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the three-month period were ¥15 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month period were ¥42 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month period were ¥28 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the three-month period were ¥11 million.」

「The results for the fiscal year included the successful development and introduction of an adhesive for standard MDF. The company continues to target the commercialization of an adhesive for water-resistant MDF in the new fiscal year.」

「Research and development expenses for the nine-month period were ¥29 million.」

「Research and development expenses for the six-month period were ¥20 million.」

「As an MDF materials manufacturer, we conduct research and development primarily aimed at developing products that meet social demand. Our activities focus on basic research into new functional wood-based materials, product quality improvements, development of new applications, utilization of unused materials, and recycling of discarded products. Research and development expenses for the fiscal year were ¥51 million.」