Vol.2 No.2 2009

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Research paper : Study on the PAN carbon-fiber-innovation for modeling a successful R&D management (O. Nakamura et al.)−160−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.2 No.2 (2009) (1) Clear goalAt GIRIO, various efforts for “promoting industrial technology” were conducted. Researches were organized along these policies. Although the research may be driven by personal interest, the researchers are encouraged to consider practical application because the policy of the organization states so. Externally, particularly to the companies, this instilled confidence that the researches would be conducted for application.(2) Daily exchange with companiesGIRIO became a “reliable place” for local Kansai companies. There was a system where the companies could seek advice casually, and information was exchanged without official procedures. Visits by corporate researchers were frequent, and there were many transfers of human resource from GIRIO to companies, and the ground for “technological transfer through human resource exchange” was laid. Exchange of knowledge would make companies reconfirm their research status and direction of the companies, and this confirmation also induced awareness of the companies. Later in the course, demand for “technological standardization” by the companies was raised, and the standardization research that would be the foundation of industrial use was started.(3) Research fund allotment in synch with growth of research themeSince its invention, carbon fiber headed steadily toward industrial use. Until attention was brought to its mechanical properties, corporate participations were mostly done by carbon manufacturers, and there were only little participation by material manufacturers like Toray, which would become greatly successful later. This research was therefore positioned as Ordinary Research, but when the corporate participation increased rapidly and new developments in industrial use were perceived, it became Special Research and large-scale Project Research, and this accelerated the research further.3.3 Actual state of technological transferThrough the presentation of Dr. Shindo at the Carbon Conference in the United States in 1963, the British carbon researchers realized the advantage of using PAN fiber and started research of PAN carbon fibers. Also, it was an American military personnel that recognized the value of the invention by Japan that was still a developing nation at the time[2]. This surprised the inventor, Dr. Shindo, himself. “Mechanical strength” was a totally different requirement for a product originally developed for heat resistance, conductivity, and one-dimensional form. The researcher narrowed down the focus, and the focus of research shifted to search something with higher function or whether such product could be synthesized.At this point, the Japanese carbon product companies and chemical fiber companies started to join. However, they could not reproduce the product with the same strength even when they referred to the publicized patent. What was the condition that determined the property? They sought technical assistance “unofficially” from the inventor group on what should be the center of assessment. The companies that were not fiber manufacturers were eyeing the opportunity to enter this field. This accumulated various data in the inventor group. Since the rule of never disclosing the competitors’ information was strictly observed, the world’s top data and analysis results were concentrated in the hands of the inventor group.Such spiral can occur even today. In the R&D under market principle, systemization and efficiency cannot be manipulated in this area. Of course, after successfully commercialization through the incessant effort of the primary group, technical assistance to the secondary group may be done systematically without revealing the name of any specific company. In such a case, it is important for both the researchers of the public institution and the companies to be aware that the secondary group does not merely develop the same product as the primary group, but it engages in development to add their own original idea.This originality is the power that allows the product to grow into something that surpasses the primary product. Various steps exist in the technological revolution including the power to find something that does not exist in the world (inventor group), power to capture the budding research result (primary group), and the power to conduct improvements to enhance the performance of the product that starts to take shape (secondary group). Although the achievement of the inventor group is often praised, it should not be forgotten that the technological innovation through the combination of technologies also strengthens industrial competitiveness.In the development of PAN carbon fiber, some companies such as manufacturers of carbon products, chemical fiber, and electric appliances became interested and attempted learning the technology, and technological transfers were done 10 years prior to the actual marketing of the product. Since carbon fiber and CFRP that combined resin and carbon fiber were totally new materials, there was a long period of trial and error without evaluation standards to judge whether a product was of the best performance in the R&D phase. Confusion arose in the late-starting companies, and many brought their products to the Shindo lab and asked everything from, “Is this really what you call carbon product?” to “Which property should we set as R&D target?” and “What is the key point in making the same product?” Of course, it would have been lucky if something surpassed the PAN carbon fiber developed at the Shindo lab. However, no such product appeared.

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