DOWA METALTECH is engaged in three types of business: metal processing, plating and circuit board substrates businesses. Our metal processing business contributes to reducing size and weight of parts and improving reliability by increasing strength, heat resistance and workability of copper alloy, and also to reducing burdens on materials in the end products. In our metal plating business, we enhance productivity, functionality and anticorrosion properties of materials with precious metal plating. We also reduce amount of precious metals by using differential thickness plating and spot plating. In our circuit board substrates business, we handle components made of heterogeneous composite materials bonded together such as metals and ceramics. These components are embedded into power modules for industrial machines and railways, contributing to energy saving. As our customers deploy business on a global basis in each of the above-mentioned business fields, we must also respond to their needs globally. More specifically, we have already started international business activities, focusing on China, South East Asia and Europe and plan to establish metal plating bases in China in 2013.
In this way, we respond to quality characteristics required by our customers both in Japan and abroad in each business field. DOWA METALTECH also contributes to reducing the amount of metals used, effective utilization of resources, developing and supplying products with less environmental burden and developing of energy saving products using our proprietary technologies.
DOWA Metal
Address: 767 Matunokijima, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture 438-0125
Employees: 285 (as of the end of March 2012)
Metal Materials Supporting Automobile Industry
DOWA Metal was founded in 1929, engaged mainly in metal processing products. Metal processing products include such products that are processed by dissolving, forming, rolling out or forging copper or copper-zinc alloy into a form of plates or strips.
Many of metal processing products of DOWA Metal are used as materials for automobiles such as connectors, wire harnesses and control components. In addition to performance of each 
component, properties of materials affect performance of automobiles. While DOWA Metal responds to the needs of material properties required for high performance and reduced size with our cutting-edge technologies. We also strive for improved productivity for our customers through process improvement by automatic highrise warehouses and proper shipment and distribution systems.
Balance of Environmental-friendliness and Material Properties
DOWA Metal offers a wide range of metal processing products including widely-used strips made of copper and copper-zinc alloy, high functional coiled plates made of copper-tin or copper-nickel alloy. We are committed to technical development responding to environmental regulations that are getting increasingly severe. One of the examples is our proprietary advanced reflow plating. As this plating method does not use hazardous substances such as lead or cadmium, recycling is easier and wastes produced in the parts manufacturing process 
can be used as secondary materials. This technology is more environmentally-friendly than other plating technologies. Automobile parts require strength, springiness, conductivity and reliability in high temperature environment. Advanced reflow plating has excellent properties for meeting those requirements and is also environmentally-friendly. As a result we have a top market share of materials for connectors for automobiles.
| In DOWA Metal we continuously operate our regular reflow plating lines. We use the same facilities for the advanced reflow plating. However, to operate the advanced reflow plating process, we must stop the regular lines and prepare for the advanced plating, as it requires special process. When we started the advance reflow plating here, our main concern was finishing of products. We have succeeded in resolving the problems of finishing, but we still have an issue on how to improve productivity. We are now trying to reduce losses as much as possible. |  |
Yoshihiko Shindo
Plating Section Chief, Manufacturing Department
Knowledge and Sensibility Will Bring Workplace with "No Accident"
DOWA Metal started a training program on prevention of accidents and safety in June 2011. This training program was named as "Metal Future Creative School" Through this program, all of our employees including clerks learn basic knowledge on safety, actual accident cases and measures to prevent accidents. In November our Safety Training Center opened, where employees can experience various dangerous situations in workplace through simulation programs, including electrical shocks, accidentally being pulled into a machine and the explosion of organic solvents. In the "Metal Future Creative School," employees can refine and improve their awareness of crisis management both by desk study and experience through simulation.. We strive to devise a wide variety ways to prevent accidents from happening in our daily activities by implementing the knowledge gained in the school.
I joined the company almost two years ago. I learned basic knowledge on repairing such as electrical troubleshooting in the Engineering Works Section of the Technical Department. And now, I am in charge of tin plated products in the Plating Section of the Manufacturing Department. I have so many things to learn here, which has been my main feeling since joining the company. I felt plating is a very delicate process when I moved to the Plating Section. The speed of plating process was too fast for me to catch up with and I always goofed up. I was worried that I have been a nuisance to all of my senior workers. I still have a lot to learn, but I will continue to polish my skills to be a professional like my senior workers. I will make good products through diligence and daily training.
Shota Masuda
Plating Section, Manufacturing Department
Training Programs for Schools
Various industrial sectors gather in Iwata City, including automobiles, metals, textiles and musical instruments. All of these industries together with local communities are committed to school education on environment and each of those industries. There is a section about DOWA Metal in a social studies reading in the local elementary schools, and we accept visits from local schools actively. Local senior high school students visited our plant as part of occupational education program of "Integrated Study Classes" in November 2011. The objective of this visit is to gain experience with advanced industries and technologies to help in their career decision making. Students observed not only the manufacturing process but also the product performance test for the purpose of gaining deeper understanding of the challenges of metal processing. We will continue to promote communication with local communities through our visits to local schools and their visits to our plant.
