The Research and Development Center (RDC) supports the market by developing new materials and injection and extrusion molding techniques. Its job is to develop the new products and molding technologies that the market requires - consulting thoroughly with the client first. That consultation process is the hallmark of the Polyplastics approach to R&D. But it's easier said than done.
It's simple enough, of course, to physically drop by the client's office and listen to their concerns. But most clients don't give you much information to go on. They don't tell you they want a particular type of material, or ask for instructions on a specific molding process. It's all much more vague than that. "We've got this problem," they tell you. Or, "Things aren't going like we want them to, which is weird." Most clients are typically uncertain whether the problem is one of the material being used or the method of molding; they don't even know if the design itself is right for engineering plastics. After all, they're not engineering plastic experts. If they were, they wouldn't have any reason to call in Polyplastics and tell us about the problem in the first place.
For the client, being able to talk to a Polyplastics engineer is valuable because no matter how inexplicable the problem may seem, an expert in engineering plastics can determine what's going on and recommend a viable solution. He may suggest modifying the conditions of molding, for example, or even switching materials altogether. For us, that can plant the seeds of new products and new technologies. Being able to engage in such dialog with the market requires becoming the client's supplier of choice. RDC's research programs are designed to win that kind of trust.
But our clients are constantly evolving. They explore new processing techniques to use on new products; switch materials to be in conformity with the latest environmental regulations; and restructure their production networks as business goes global. If Polyplastics wants to enjoy the unchanging trust of its constantly evolving clientele, it must change constantly itself. The company that adapts most quickly to the changing market in each industry and region is, thanks to the dialog it thereby establishes with the market, going to be the one clients choose. In light of that fact, RDC is the arm of Polyplastics that's going to be expected to take the initiative in adapting to change.
RDC's new catchphrase, "Go! Go! RDC!", is also a declaration of intent: our intent to change of our own accord for the sake of our future. We at RDC delight in grappling with the unknown, and it's in that spirit we hope to make a difference to the future of engineering plastics and Polyplastics.
Have information from overseas clientele? Feel free to drop by Fuji whenever you're in Japan. After all, it's for the sake of your clients our center exists. Look forward to seeing you.

Toshio Shiwaku, on behalf of the whole RDC team