Utsumi Kikaku K.K. is engaged in the integrated recycling of used PET bottles, which many municipalities and collectors have trouble disposing of. The company sells Eco-Mark certified recycled products made from 100% recycled PET bottles to mass merchandisers and co-ops nationwide, and expects annual sales to reach 2.4 billion yen. The reason for this growth can be attributed to President Masaaki Utsumi's market-oriented approach. Currently, no matter how many recycling points there are, if the price is relatively high, the market will not accept the product. It is important to create cost-competitive recycled products.
The PET bottle recycling business is characterized by integrated production in which collected PET bottles are sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable bottles, and the raw PET flakes are converted into sheets to produce the final product. As a purchaser and user of recycled raw materials, not to mention a cutter of transportation costs, the company does not compromise on quality or cost, and achieves cost reductions while maximizing mechanization.
In addition, Utsumi Planning believes that the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law will provide a strong boost to the PET bottle business, and the company is eager to continue expanding its operations. 2001 is the year the company aims to go public over-the-counter.
From the very beginning of the company's establishment, the company has focused on integrated production from raw materials to finished products and the development of product applications. Rather than building a plant to recycle, President Utsumi has taken a market-driven approach to utilizing recycled PET bottles to make competitive end products. Utsumi Kikaku has achieved price competitiveness that is competitive even with virgin PET, and delivers its products to mass merchandisers and co-ops nationwide.
President Utsumi plans to further accelerate the development of applications for recycled PET, with the prospect of recycling into beverage PET bottles in the near future. He also noted that many containers and parts made from current PP materials can be substituted with PET. The company has spent a great deal of time on technological development and has succeeded in reducing overall costs by mechanizing the process while maintaining cost competitiveness.
As for the company's history, it started in 1993 with a capital of 10 million yen, received a 50 million yen bond underwritten by the Osaka Foundation for Promotion of R&D-Oriented Enterprises in 1995, and received capital participation from the Research Promotion Center for Basic Technology in 1998. Currently capitalized at 200 million yen, with 10 employees at the head office and 31 at the factory, sales were 836 million yen in 1997, 1.515 billion yen in 1998, and are expected to reach 2 billion yen in 1999.
President Utsumi's remarks indicate that the company is strongly motivated by the PET bottle recycling business. He stated, "For those of us who use used PET bottles as raw materials, PET bottles are truly the crude oil of our time," which strongly reflects the company's commitment to PET bottle recycling.
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