Top : Mr Kohno , left : Mr Sugita and right : Mr Kobayashi π www . valve-world . net Valve World March 2025
Cover Story examples of areas where we can provide optimum support to customers and grow our business .”
Group unity
As the second medium-term management plan gets underway , KITZ staff at all levels are picking up the pace of change . Mr Kohno : “ The key word is speed . Having a shared sense of urgency and determination is vital to realise complex projects . As CEO , I am pleased to see KITZ employees unifying and cooperating . More than ever , the KITZ Group is coming together as one true team .” KITZ ’ s long-term policy for openness amongst employees is certainly paying dividends . “ KITZ is not a company with entrenched ideas or overbearing hierarchy . We promote horizontal flow , meaning that there are no boundaries between colleagues . Interaction between employees is a strength ! As is diversity : we have a roughly fifty-fifty split of working recruits and new graduates , and we are also working towards hiring an even more diverse workforce in the future .”
Hydrogen
At the recent Valve World show , KITZ delivered two presentations on the topic of valve developments for hydrogen use . These included valves for liquid hydrogen as well as valves for hydrogen-powered aircraft . As Japan is one of the leading nations when it comes to hydrogen , Mr Kohno is determined that KITZ should be prepared to serve this potentially enormous sector .
Change the Flow
Launched in 2021 , ‘ Change the Flow ’ is KITZ ’ s Corporate Mission up to 2030 . This will be achieved via several medium-term management plans , of which the second has just started . A key area of change will be the adoption of a business unit system designed to give customers a richer experience .
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I ’ m looking forward to the next three years .” Mr Kohno , CEO , KITZ Corporation ”
“ The world has to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and hydrogen could play a significant role as an energy carrier . We are therefore working to ramp up our valve offerings and contributing to a cleaner society . From our perspective , we are now seeing an expansion in this area . In fact , we are getting enquiries from many sectors and are now expanding our scope accordingly . There are a lot of technical considerations with hydrogen valves . For example , valves for hydrogen gas need to have low emissions . Meanwhile , valves for liquid hydrogen are even more challenging , as vacuum insulation is required to maintain the liquid state .” Mr Kohno further comments that ‘ hydrogen ’ could well form KITZ ’ s next pillar . “ We are beginning to see signs of success so envisage further increases in productivity and will use the resulting resources to focus
December 2024 for stainless steel valves for industrial applications . It also expanded its factory building in Brazil . For the semiconductor market , a new plant building was completed at KITZ SCT in Japan in April 2023 . In addition , construction of a factory for valves compatible with high-purity gases for semiconductor equipment also in Vietnam , began in late 2024 and will be operational by the end of 2025 . Mr Kohno explains that capital investments in valves for semiconductor production are being made now in anticipation of market buoyancy in 2026 . “ It is important for us to further expand our contributions to society . As a long-term supplier of valves to the semiconductor industry , we recognise our role in the ongoing digitalisation trend . Our valves have proven their reliability in the direct production process . Yet semiconductor factories require additional hardware , such as server rooms , temperature control , precise air-conditioning systems , pure water treatment plants , etc . These are all
Top : Mr Kohno , left : Mr Sugita and right : Mr Kobayashi π www . valve-world . net Valve World March 2025
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