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Sunstar Group

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Sunstar Group
Company typePrivately held company|Private
IndustryOral Care products Chemical and Automotive products
Founded1932; 92 years ago (1932)
Osaka, Japan
FounderKunio Kaneda |ja| 金田邦夫
Headquarters
Route de Pallatex 11, 1163 Etoy, canton of Vaud
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Hiroo Kaneda (Board Member) Michel Pettigrew (Chairman)
Number of employees
4,000
Websitewww.sunstar.com

Sunstar is a global conglomerate with origins in Japan going back to 1932. The corporation has two main wings, Consumer and Industrial. Its main Consumer business is the development, manufacturing and sale of oral care products[1][2] (toothpastes, interdentals, dental rinses and toothbrushes) globally marketed under the GUM brand. It also has a range of Health Food [3]and Beauty products[4] in Japan. It's Industrial wing accounts for around 40% of its revenue and produces Chemical formulations for industrial applications[5][6] (Automotive, Construction and Electronics industries) and motorcycle and automobile parts (sprockets and braking disks).Founded and built by the Kaneda family, Hiroo Kaneda, previously CEO, is on the Group Board. The Chair is Michel Pettigrew.

Sunstar's founder, Kunio Kaneda [ja], established the Kaneda Keitai Shokai Company in Osaka, Japan in 1932 as a seller of rubber glue for bicycles. The introduction of metal tubes for packaging of the rubber glue - and later also toothpastes formed the basis for the early success of the business. The company since developed into the leading oral care business in Japan, expanding over subsequent years to become a global business.[7] The Industrial business also has a leading position for several of its products in Japan and other markets. Group sales exceeded one billion United States dollars for the first time in the 1990s and are now at the level of 1.4 billion US dollars per year.

After having been listed on the Osaka Securities Exchange since 1961, Sunstar undertook a management and employee buyout of all shares in 2007.[8] The ownership of Sunstar Japan and the other group companies of the Consumer Goods Business was transferred to Switzerland and the Industrial business to Singapore, in an effort to accelerate globalization.[9] Sunstar group instituted global awards to recognize outstanding contributions to dental hygiene.[10]

Sunstar annual employee global awards recipients (2019): Tony Shen, Adriana Grijo, Greg Carroll, Poothanabodee Kaewchengwang.

History

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Sunstar was founded in 1932 by Kunio Kaneda [ja], who established the Kaneda Brother's Company as a distributor of bicycle parts in Osaka, Japan. In 1933, he started selling rubber glue for puncture repair packed in a small metal tubes.[11] Until 1946, Kaneda Brother’s Company produced metal tubes and founded Kaneda Light Metal Tube Industries.

In 1946, the company developed its first toothpaste, in a metal tube. Also that year, the company engaged in the production of bicycle parts. In 1948, the company started to sell medical toothpaste.

In 1988, Sunstar acquired the US dental manufacturer, J.O. Butler, Inc. 20 years later, in 2007, Sunstar started the transfer of the headquarters office functions to Switzerland and privatized ownership by management and employee share buyout (delisted from Osaka Securities Exchange). Also in 2007, the Sunstar Foundation and International Federation of Dental Hygienists instituted the World Dental Hygienist Awards to recognize dental hygienists who have made significant contributions to dental hygiene science, or to patients, the community and the general public.[12]

In 2009, the headquarters building in Switzerland (Sunstar Suisse S.A., Etoy) was completed. A couple of years later, in 2011, Sunstar Acquired Interbros GmbH (German toothbrush and interdental brush manufacturer) as well as Degradable Solutions AG (Swiss bonegraft manufacturer). In 2013, Sunstar established a new product development center for the Industrial and Consumer Business in Singapore. In 2014, the fine blanking automobile metal parts was expanded in Indonesia and Thailand. The company also opened of a new base for the consumer business in Brazil.

In 2015, a new headquarters building in Etoy, Switzerland, was completed.[13]

In 2018 Sunstar Engineering Americas won an Innovation Award from the Adhesives and Sealants Council (ASC) for "automated application of UV Curable Foams".[14]

Sunstar Engineering Americas scientist, Dr. Gregory Carroll, accepts an Innovation Award from the Adhesives and Sealants Council at an ASC conference in Miami, FL for the development of UV cure foams.

In 2019, Sunstar built a factory in Rain, Germany.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Goldie, Maria Perno. "Oral hygiene care during orthodontic therapy". Dentistry IQ. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  2. ^ "きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ 台湾で記者会見！歯みがき×Kawaiiカルチャーをアジアに発信". Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  3. ^ rehow (1 July 2021). "Sunstar Group New release of Sunstar "Health Dojo Rice Blanc Life" that allows you to easily ingest the nutritious "rice bran"". Japan NEWS. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  4. ^ Hosokawa, Kotaro. "Sunstar to sell mail order cosmetics abroad". Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  5. ^ Cunningham, Justin. "Single part foam sealant helps produce a better gasket". Materials for Engineering. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Sunstar iBike trasforma tutte le bici da normali a pedalata assistita". OmniMoto. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  7. ^ Mazzoleni, M (2006). "Effective Management: Practice and Theory of a Successful Company. The Case of Sunstar". International Journal of Business and Information. 3 (1729–9322).
  8. ^ Mazzoleni, M (2005). Management realizzato: prassi e teorie di un'azienda di successo. Il caso Sunstar. ISBN 9788846470300.
  9. ^ "Customer Relations | Sunstar Group". www.sunstar.com. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Sunstar Awards".
  11. ^ "ハミガキの会社「サンスター」バイク用ブレーキで活躍する理由". ライブドアニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  12. ^ "World Dental Hygienist Awards". The International Federation of Dental Hygienists. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Genève accueille une autre pharma japonaise". 24 Heures.
  14. ^ "Innovation Awards". Adhesive and Sealant Council. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  15. ^ Wagner, Jenny (2 October 2017). "Rain: Japanischer Chemiekonzern baut Europa-Zentrale". donau-ries-aktuell.de (in German). Donau Ries Medien. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
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