December 9, 2003

Ajinomoto’s New Nucleotide Seasoning Factory in Thailand Begins Operations
Establishment of Global Production and Supply Network

December 9, 2003 – Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand – Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Ajinomoto; President: Kunio Egashira; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan) has completed construction of a new factory for nucleotide seasoning in Thailand (Kamphaeng province, 300km from Bangkok).
  The new factory was built at an investment cost of about 2.2 billion baht (approximately 6 billion yen) to boost Ajinomoto’s cost competitiveness and meet growing worldwide demand. It is the first nucleotide factory for the Ajinomoto Group outside Japan, and will supply products to various countries in the future as a global export base. At the same time, operations in Japan will reduce the variety of items produced for greater production efficiency.


  A feature of nucleotide seasonings is the robust “umami” flavor they produce when used in combination with monosodium glutamate (MSG) because of the synergy between the ingredients. They are widely used in soups (including soup for instant noodles), seasoning mixes and a variety of other processed foods. With steady growth in demand for nucleotide seasonings expected to continue, Ajinomoto will use the global marketing network spanning 17 countries that has been built for AJI-NO-MOTO, together with this expansion of its production network, to respond accurately to the increase in demand and further reinforce its earnings base.

  The production capacity of the new Thai factory will be about 3,000 tons per year. Thailand was chosen as the site for the new factory for reasons including its suitability for procurement of tapioca starch, a main ingredient; its high-quality human resources; policy support (tax incentives, etc.) from the Thai government and other institutions; and the solid management and technological base of Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd.
  Ajinomoto will promote further global development of its umami seasonings business and provide services closely linked to the regions it serves, thereby contributing to customers around the world.




Reference Materials

1.Basic Information on Nucleotide Seasonings

  • Product type: Ajinomoto manufactures and sells sodium inosinate, and sodium ribonucleotide ( a mixture of sodium inosinate and sodium guanylate).
  • Product features: Sodium inosinate is the umami component of bonito flakes that have long been used as dashi, a soup stock. It is present in large quantities in fish, beef and poultry. Sodium guanylate is the umami component of dried shiitake mushrooms, and is found in many other mushrooms. Combining either of these with monosodium glutamate, which is found in kelp, brings out a robust “umami” flavor.
  • Applications: Widely used in the umami seasonings, instant noodles (soup), soups and bouillons, seasoning mixes, curry roux, sauces, and other processed foods. The standard mixing ratio (based on weight) in the case of soup is 100 parts monosodium glutamate to 1-10 parts nucleotide seasoning.
  • Raw ingredients and manufacturing method: Main ingredients include tapioca starch, and like AJI-NO-MOTO, the products are manufactured by fermentation.
  • Product Launches:
    1964: AJI-NO-MOTO KK-NO-IN (sodium inosinate) launched
    1965: AJI-NO-MOTO KK-NO-WP (sodium ribonucleotide) launched
  • Sales regions: Currently sold in Japan and about 100 countries around the world, mainly for food processing applications.
  • Brand names:
    Sodium inosinate: IN in Japan, AJITIDE IMP overseas
    Sodium ribonucleotide: WP (Double Plus) in Japan, AJITIDE I+G overseas
2.Profile of Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd.
Company name:
 Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd.
Established:
April 1960
Head office location:
 Bangkok, Thailand
President:  Kanji Mimoto
Principal products:
 Seasonings, foods, feed-use amino acids
Capital:
 796 million baht (approximately 2.1 billion yen)
Shareholder composition:
 Ajinomoto Co., Inc., 74.30%
Number of employees:
 840 (including about 30 sent from Japan)
Group net sales:
17.2 billion baht (approximately 47 billion yen)
Thai baht = 2.74 yen at November 30, 2003

3.No. 2 Factory of Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd. (New Factory)
Factory location:
 Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand
Factory manager:
Yoshinari Shiroshita
Site area:
 About 180 hectares – total site area of Kamphaeng Phet
Factory (including No. 1 Factory)
Start of operation:
November 2003
Number of employees:
 110 (including 5 sent from Japan)
Principal product:
Nucleotide seasoning (sodium ribonucleotide, a mixture
of sodium iosinate and sodium guanylate)


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