Producer
Toho Zinc Co., Ltd.
Japanese non-ferrous metals company (TSE: 5707, HQ Tokyo); major zinc smelter and zinc powder producer for Japanese battery manufacturers including Panasonic Battery (Matsushita). Toho Zinc's battery zinc powder division supplies the alloyed powder required for Japanese-produced alkaline cells. Also produces lead, indium, and other non-ferrous metals — including indium which itself is used as an additive in battery zinc powder to suppress gassing.
1
Inputs supplied
1
Goods downstream
0
Facilities
0
Stories
What they make
1 input Toho Zinc Co., Ltd. supplies
Click an input to see every good that depends on it, every country that produces it, and every other company in the supply chain.
Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something Toho Zinc Co., Ltd. makes, pick one to see the full supply chain.
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map, where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
Zinc & Zinc Powder (Battery)
45%Lead & Lead Products
25%Indium (Critical Minor Metal)
20%Other Non-Ferrous Products
10%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains, chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Did you know2023
Toho Zinc supplies battery-grade zinc powder for Japanese alkaline battery production (Panasonic Battery supply chain) AND indium metal for ITO LCD display coatings from the same Tokyo smelter operations. The consumer electronics industry (LCD display screens) and the consumer battery industry (alkaline AA cells) share the same Japanese zinc smelter as a common upstream supplier. The indium that Toho recovers from zinc refining goes into the transparent conductor in every LCD screen, while the zinc powder goes into the alkaline battery that powers the remote control for that LCD screen -- both from the same smelter. An earthquake at Toho Zinc's primary facility (Tokyo is in an active seismic zone) or a Japanese energy crisis affecting smelter electricity supply would simultaneously affect Japanese alkaline battery production and Japanese ITO indium supply for display manufacturers.
Toho Zinc Co., Ltd. ↗Origin2023
Toho Zinc was founded in 1937 in Tokyo as a producer of lead and zinc metal for Japan's rapidly industrializing economy. The company survived WWII and postwar reconstruction to become a primary supplier of zinc and lead to Japanese manufacturers. Toho Zinc's relationship with Panasonic Battery (formerly Matsushita Electric's battery division) began as Japan's alkaline battery industry developed in the 1970s: alkaline batteries require zinc powder with specific alloy content (bismuth and indium additions to suppress hydrogen gassing inside the cell), and Toho Zinc developed the specialized powder production capability to serve Japanese battery makers. The indium byproduct from Toho's zinc smelting is recovered and sold into the LCD display market -- indium tin oxide (ITO) is the transparent conductor used in virtually every LCD screen and is primarily sourced from zinc smelting byproduct streams. A 1937 Tokyo lead and zinc smelter became simultaneously essential to Japanese alkaline battery production (Panasonic) and LCD display material supply (ITO indium).
Toho Zinc Co., Ltd. ↗