Asahi Kasei has announced that it is moving the global headquarters for its Healthcare Business to the United States. The primary executive officer for Healthcare and staff will be located in existing Asahi Kasei offices in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
Since the acquisition of ZOLL Medical just over ten years ago, Asahi Kasei’s healthcare business has more than tripled. Its healthcare lineup is diversified, ranging from innovative drugs for specialised therapeutic areas to solutions for serious cardiopulmonary conditions, and equipment and services for the manufacture of biotherapeutics, all of which improve and save patients' lives.
Currently, healthcare accounts for 18% of Asahi Kasei’s revenue, 33% of operating income (fiscal 2022) and over 23% of employees. While 78% of Asahi Kasei's healthcare sales are outside Japan, further global growth is expected, centered on the United States. The healthcare business domain is expected to be a main driver of Asahi Kasei's overall growth.
Koshiro Kudo, president and CEO of Asahi Kasei stated, “By establishing our Healthcare headquarters in the United States, the largest healthcare market and source of most innovation, Asahi Kasei reiterates its commitment to further accelerate the growth of its healthcare business. Furthermore, we anticipate that a greater presence in the US with the healthcare team will create synergies and provide benefits for our material and homes businesses. This action is evidence that Asahi Kasei is accelerating its globalisation of its group businesses and that we are committed to transforming all operations.”
“This announcement shows that Asahi Kasei is moving forward in embracing new methods of operation across all of its business segments,” stated Richard Packer, the primary executive officer for healthcare, “By modifying our governance and management processes to allow one of our major business segments to be managed outside of Japan, we will be better able to move quickly, keep ahead of industry trends, and maintain our competitive edge. We look forward to better connecting our people and technologies to the global healthcare market. Similar connections will be made to our material and homes operations in the US.”