100 Stories1986 Nobeoka Exhibition Center

The Nobeoka Exhibition Center is an institute established in 1986 where you can learn about Asahi Kasei’s history, the overall approach to management, and the company’s relation with its birthplace, Hyuga District, Nobeoka. This exhibition center allows visitors to have a tour while holding Asahi Kasei Group’s products in person. About 6,000 people visit every year.

It is located in a section of the Koyo Club. Koyo Club is a building established in 1923 by Nippon Chisso Hiryo near the plant as a lodging house for foreign engineers when Dr. Luigi Casale, president of Ammonia Casale, accompanied Mr. Leplastrier to Japan. Dr. Casale is the inventor of the Casale ammonia synthesis process the Shitagau Noguchi implemented. This enabled him to succeed in creating the first ammonia plant in Japan and Nippon Chisso Hiryo, Asahi Kasei’s predecessor was created.

There was a major renovation planned for the Nobeoka Exhibition Center around 2000, but various situations overlapped and it was rescheduled multiple times. In the planning phase, the manufacturing company suddenly went bankrupt, and just when another company was assigned, the Leona fire incident occurred in 2002. After that, the project leader was transferred. Many difficulties stood in the way of this plan multiple times. The Nobeoka Exhibition Center overcame these difficulties. It reopened in 2005 at a smaller scale and was finally renovated in 2012 after 12 years of postponing.

The Bemberg™ Plant and the Asahi Kasei NS Energy, Nobeoka Power Plant located in the vicinity of the Nobeoka Exhibition Center are also open for tours. The Bemberg™ Plant is the only plant that produces Cupra fiber in the world. It manufactures the Bemberg™ yarn and Bemliese™ using cotton linter gathered from the cotton plant as the main ingredient. This plant is popular for allowing visitors to watch this manufacturing process in person.

At Asahi Kasei NS Energy, Nobeoka Power Plant, power is generated using not only coal but also biochips made from processed bark, thinned wood, and wood chips, as well as wood biomass, such as biopellets. Watching this power generation mechanism is the highlight of the tour.