DOWA METALTECH provides the following variety of technical services. Our copper elongation sheet products use highly functional copper alloys and they are offered on a global basis. They include NB109 (the standard material for on-board connectors), C7025 for high-end lead frames and ultra-strong YCuT-FX (enables ultra-compact size of parts and components). Our bar products have been highly adopted and applied in gas and water supply fields. Our metal plating contributes to maintaining strict surface quality of automobile electric equipment and cell phone parts and components. Our highly professional products include metal ceramic substrates that are indispensable for inverter circuits including industrial machinery, hybrid vehicles, wind power generation and railways.
We established a reflow tin plating plant in Shanghai, China and Thailand. The Thai plant handles silver and nickel plating. We support for local procurement of the products by Japanese companies deploying business in other countries with the same quality as those manufactured in Japan.
We have granted the license of on-board NB109 and NB105 to U.S. and German manufacturers and are proceeding to establish the global supply system to North America, Europe and Asia. We opened sales offices in Shenzhen in China and Singapore to widen our service areas.
We will provide our customers with a wide variety of solutions through our network of products and technical services.
Address: 2630 Shingai, Iwata-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture 438-0025 Japan
Number of Employees: 205 (as of March 31, 2013)
Metal Material Supporting the IT Industry
DOWA METANIX was founded in 1961 as an alloy manufacturing company and joined the DOWA group in 2007, supporting the cutting-edge technologies of the IT industry through manufacturing of metal materials.
The market of information devices such as smart phones and PCs are expanding on a global basis and devices with a more compact size and less weight are being required. We manufacture copper-based and nickel-based highly functional alloys that are indispensable for making those rapidly advancing information devices. We strive to further enhance already high performance, improve safety and reduce environmental burden through not only offering materials but also designing and processing of parts and components. We put much emphasis on improvement of technologies and fostering of human resources. Through these activities we will aim at being a company that can contribute to further enriching the lives of people.
Enhanced Development of Highly Functional Alloys, Considering Environment
DOWA METANIX manufactures highly functional alloys for lead frame connectors used for main information communication devices. The size of the parts and components of smart phones and PCs is getting smaller and smaller. Metal materials need higher performance to achieve ultra-compact size.
Connectors in this field use copper alloys containing beryllium; however, beryllium oxide is a hazardous substance. We have succeeded in developing the ultra strong copper alloy of YCuT-FX to replace beryllium. Using our proprietary technology of “Texture Control” and “Precipitates Control” for copper-titanium alloys we have succeeded in dramatically improving performance. The product is safe as only added element is titanium. 
It also has sufficient springiness and processability to be formed to complicated shapes, ideal for ultra-compact connectors and ultra-small switches. The manufacturing technology of copper-titanium alloys is very difficult and has not yet achieved cost-effectiveness. We are committed to eco-friendly manufacturing, taking environment and health in consideration of the requirements for safety.
Deputy Division Head, Iwata Technical Center
Motohiko Suzuki
Our YCuT series are copper-titanium alloys that are very difficult to produce. Research, manufacturing and sales departments all strive to improve quality, cost and delivery in cooperation. There are various major and minor issues on this production technology. To resolve the problems we must take quality control and productivity actions, and at the same time we must seek the ideal situation for the future. Every day I think about the ways to obtain the better results. We will develop the best conditions to produce better product by introducing new equipment and facilities, remove quality variation factors, and establish the system to maintain quality so that the market place will recognize us as “METANIX of quality.”
Fostering Human Resources through the TPM Activities
DOWA METANITEX has been engaged in the TPM (Total Productive Maintenance & Management) activities for many years, aimed at increasing earning power and strengthening the corporate infrastructure. All employees participate in these activities. TPM is the generic term for the management activities across the company to improve human, facility-related and corporate factors, aimed at preventing losses that could impair efficiency of the production system throughout the life cycle of the system.
Fostering human resources is one of the main activities of the diversified TPM activities. We are promoting education that is systemized per job functions and ranks in this activity. We encourage employees to obtain qualifications so that they can have higher goals and improve their technical abilities. 
One out of three of our operators has taken a national skill examination and has received a certificate. Relevant parties in each department and division share the activity policy, plan and progress statuses via “the sign board.” We hold a sign board contest to raise awareness of employees by visualization and sharing of issues and details of TPM activities.
TRM Promotion Office Head Hiromi Fujimura (left)
Chief in charge Hiromasa Omura (right)
TPM has become the indispensable tool to revamp management. The role of the TPM Promotion Office is to challenge the spirit of our employees in their activities. The driving force to promote the activities in the busy workplace every day is sharing the sense of crisis that nothing can be achieved only maintaining the status quo. The activities have expanded to involve sales, planning and general administration departments that are not directly connected to the activities, in addition to the manufacturing and technical departments. Now every employee of our company participates in our TPM activities. We endeavor to promote TPM so everyone can take pleasure in of the activities.
To promote the health of employees, DOWA METANIX encourages them to participate in a walking event called as “Shall We Walk!” Participants can choose their goals from 6,000, 8,000 or 10,000 steps/day; they then keep a record of the number of steps they took during three months. Although almost all the employees participated in the event, METANIX comes up with unique encouragements for participation every time the walking event is held. For example, bonus points will be added to those who do not smoke during the event period. Even though you know you must exercise, it is difficult to do so by yourself. This event encourages employees to tackle their health issues as if they were playing games. The event also helps to promote communication among employees. 
In 2012, the event added team participation. Having teams encourages employees to participate more often, thereby contributing to their health more. We will continue these efforts in the event.
