First of all, please introduce the company.
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: Muromachi Chemical Co., Ltd. is a chemical industry company headquartered in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Its origin dates back to "Sue Meyaku", which was founded in Sue Town, Fukuoka Prefecture in the Meiji era. It was temporarily closed due to the influence of World War II, but after the end of the war, the company name was renewed and restarted. Later, we have expanded into areas such as health foods for women and ion exchange resins, and are currently expanding our business mainly in three businesses: pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and health foods. The Pharmaceutical Development Department moved to Kashiwa-no-ha Lab.
You are a company that was born in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: Even today, the head office function and pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is located in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Originally, the pharmaceutical development department was also located in the headquarters of Omuta City, but the base was relocated to Saitama Prefecture to respond to requests and consultation services from customers in the Kanto region. Furthermore, in June this year, the development base was relocated to Mitsui Link Lab Kashiwa-no-ha, and its name was changed to the Pharmaceutical Development Center.
Head office of Muromachi Chemical Co., Ltd. (Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
What kind of medicines do you manufacture?
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: The Company's pharmaceutical business mainly involves the synthesis and contract processing of raw materials and intermediates. Some customers include ethical drug companies, and some over-the-counter drug companies.
Please tell us about the role of the Pharmaceutical Development Department.
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: For example, when a pharmaceutical manufacturing company receives a variety of consultations, such as requests for pharmaceutical manufacturing, the Pharmaceutical Development Department will conduct more specific studies, examine feasibility, go to the customer to provide more detailed stories, and provide samples. Kashiwa-no-ha Lab is fully equipped with a wet lab function, so prototypes are also manufactured as needed.
Muromachi Chemical Seto-sama: In addition to traditional companies, the number of consultations and development requests from startups and academics has increased recently. Some of us have requested, "We are currently trying to develop new products, so we want us to cooperate." In addition, the Pharmaceutical Development Department is responsible for the manufacture of raw materials for small lots of experimental drugs used in clinical trials and the study of methods for synthesizing them on a lab scale.
Dangerous goods handling rules are strictly adhered to, and "facilities that can be used with peace of mind"
Why did you choose Mitsui Link Lab Kashiwa-no-ha as a new base?
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: In the Kashiwa-no-ha area, there are many academia and startup-related facilities in the surrounding area, and there is an environment where you can share the latest information on pharmaceuticals and medical care. It was also attractive to have a wet lab. We have searched quite a bit, but there are few facilities with wet labs at present. It is also attractive that there is no limit on the contract period. Labs operated by the government and the organization have a limited contract period, and must leave the facility when the period expires. Kashiwa-no-ha Lab has no deadline, so there is no need to move from one to another, and we can maintain connections with our customers.
What are your thoughts on Mitsui Link Lab Kashiwa-no-ha?
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: Thank you very much for your support and it is very helpful. As I mentioned earlier, our Kashiwa-no-ha Lab manufactures and delivers small amounts of compounds as test samples at the request of our customers, and in many cases, organic solvents etc. are used in the process, but the rules for handling hazardous materials are in place throughout the facility, and I am very grateful for that.
Mr. Sakumoto, Muromachi Chemical: Even in experiments that use only a small amount of solvent, it may be a little complicated for researchers to go to the dangerous goods warehouse to get the solvent each time and return it to the warehouse once the experiment is completed, but considering the safety aspect, I think it is a good facility with strict compliance.
I would like to find seeds for new businesses in the future through exchanges at Kashiwa-no-ha Lab.
Do you have any opportunities to interact with other companies in the lab?
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: It's been two months since I moved in, but I sometimes talk to the tenants on the opposite side. A lunchtime event will be held this month due to the opportunity of exchange in the lab, so I would like to use these situations to continue to deepen exchanges with everyone. In the future, I would like to hold lectures for Kashiwa-no-ha Labs to introduce our business.
Please tell us about what you want to achieve in the future at Mitsui Link Lab Kashiwa-no-ha.
Muromachi Chemical Seto-sama: Recently, the number of work with startups has increased, but most of the reasons why we asked us to see our website and know it. In the future, I would like you to know more widely that we can flexibly respond to requests from academics and startups through Kashiwa-no-ha Labs and communities. In the future, we hope that the work of our business divisions will progress steadily, and we will further expand our scale with Kashiwa-no-ha.
Muromachi Chemical Fukumoto-sama: Since our company is a small and medium-sized enterprise in terms of scale, in order to survive within the industry, it is necessary to always take the first step in participating in areas where we can grow big in the future. In our case, the pharmaceutical business is the mainstay of our business, but we also intend to actively collect information on the surrounding areas, such as medical equipment and regenerative medicine, using Kashiwa-no-ha, to explore new directions for our business. In particular, since we are a department with strong research elements, we hope that we will be able to talk with Kashiwa-no-ha in various areas other than business.
