readease Chapter 183 Ajinomoto
Chapter 183 Ajinomoto
Early August 1989.
The cicadas' chirping echoed among the high-rises of Marunouchi during the sweltering summer, and the heat waves from the air conditioner units distorted the air above the asphalt road. The Imperial Palace green space at the edge of the horizon appeared somewhat blurred in the sweltering heat.
Inside the president's office at the headquarters of Saionji Corporation, a humidifier was continuously emitting a fine mist of cool air.
Executive Director Endo stood respectfully before his desk, holding a coded telegram that had just been sent from Wall Street in both hands. A layer of sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing sounded somewhat heavy in the cold air.
"A message from Frank."
Endo's voice broke the constant temperature and tranquility of the room.
"The legal segregation of one hundred umbrella trusts and shell companies is being expedited. To avoid detection by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, all offshore accounts must maintain an absolute quiet period for the next two weeks. Any unusual fund movements and the issuance of any buy orders are prohibited."
Satsuki sat in a large, leather swivel chair.
Today she wore a light beige cotton-linen dress, her long hair simply tied back with a dark blue tortoiseshell hairpin. In her hand she held a copy of the telegram, her fingertips gently stroking the rough surface of the thermal paper.
Apply slight pressure with your fingers.
The paper was fed into the paper shredder inlet next to the desk.
Gears meshed. A sharp, shattering sound suddenly filled the room, and tiny white scraps of paper fell like snowflakes into a transparent collection bin.
A two-week period of absolute silence.
For those massive overseas financial fleets, this is the time cost they must pay to safely navigate a minefield. But for the Saionji family's overall strategy, time is always the most expensive consumable.
The theoretical model of the extreme ultraviolet lithography machine, located four floors underground, is still being tested day and night. In addition to hardware barriers such as light sources and multi-axis machine tools, future chip manufacturing faces a critical physical bottleneck—advanced packaging. When transistors are compressed to the nanometer level, the intricate circuitry inside the chip requires layers of a special resin film that is extremely insulating and has a very low rate of thermal expansion and contraction to prevent signal interference and short circuits.
This core substrate, known as "Accumulated Insulating Film" (ABF), is currently a mystery to both Silicon Valley and Japanese semiconductor giants.
In Satsuki's memory, the prototype of this material, which was powerful enough to strangle the global chip foundry industry, was lying quietly in a chemical waste bin at a food company.
Ajinomoto Group, a company that started by producing monosodium glutamate (MSG) and seasonings, accidentally synthesized a byproduct resin while researching amino acid polymers in its basic chemistry division. While possessing perfect insulation and heat resistance, its brittle texture and lack of flexibility make it unsuitable for traditional construction or food packaging, and it faces budget cuts and potential closure by upper management.
Taking advantage of this fourteen-day funding gap, she planned to acquire this previously untapped piece of the technology puzzle at a negligible cost. This was a schedule she had already devised after the secretive meeting.
The sound of the shredder's motor gradually subsided.
Satsuki raised her eyes and looked at Endo across from her.
"Executive Director Endo, it seems there's a proposal regarding the 'Gyokujo Series' microwaveable bento boxes in S-Food's product line planning for next quarter?"
Endo paused for a moment, quickly retrieved the business information in his mind, and nodded.
"Yes, Miss. S-Food plans to launch premium fresh food in the fall and winter. However, the current polyethylene packaging boxes are prone to deformation and releasing odors when heated in microwaves for a long time. The R&D department is looking for a more heat-resistant sealing film material."
Satsuki stood up and smoothed out the fine wrinkles on her skirt.
"Ajinomoto Group is not only a major supplier of our seasonings, but their basic chemistry department also has in-depth research on amino acid resin materials."
She picked up the landline receiver from the table and handed it to Endo.
"Make an appointment with the food department manager at Ajinomoto. Tell them that S-Food is preparing to sign a five-year all-inclusive contract with them for seasonings. By the way... I'd like to visit their chemistry lab to see if they can find a suitable heat-resistant film for our new bento boxes."
Endo took the receiver, and his expression instantly relaxed.
Great, the young lady has finally stopped doing venture capital.
This was an extremely normal, mutually beneficial business visit. S-Food currently controls the fresh food supply for three major convenience store chains, and the allure of this five-year contract was enough to make Ajinomoto's top management open all doors.
"Understood. I'll arrange the convoy and the letter of visit immediately."
.........
The sound of the car's engine replaced the lingering echo of the paper shredder. The black Nissan Presidential Sedan rolled across the asphalt road of the Chuo Ward and came to a smooth stop in front of a building with a mid-Showa style.
Ajinomoto Group headquarters.
Leaving aside the fact that the young lady was startled by the loud welcome ceremony of the Ajinomoto employees lined up in two rows at the entrance, Satsuki was surrounded by a crowd as she arrived at the high-end tasting room on the top floor.
This is a special area used by Ajinomoto to receive important clients, so that they can taste their products firsthand. Boiling kelp broth churns violently in a copper pot on a stainless steel counter, releasing thick white steam. The steam blurs the heavy glass windows, completely shutting out the sweltering Tokyo street scene outside.
A strong, pungent umami aroma filled the air.
The managing director of Ajinomoto's food department stood beside the long table, a broad smile on his face. He clutched a beautifully bound price list tightly in his hand, his cheeks flushed with excitement.
S-Food currently controls the fresh food supply chain of three major convenience store giants: 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Lawson, as well as S-Mart supermarkets throughout the Kanto region. The production lines for millions of rice balls, bento boxes, and oden every day consume hundreds of tons of kelp extract and compound seasoning powder.
This time, the deal is for a five-year exclusive supply agreement.
If they can get this young lady to sign her name on the paper, Ajinomoto's profits for the next quarter will surge exponentially. And he himself, with this overwhelming performance, will undoubtedly push open the door to the group's core board of directors, and may even touch the throne of the next president.
Upon seeing Satsuki enter, the managing director immediately went to greet him. He held the price list in both hands, leaning forward, trying to get closer to this major investor who controlled the lifeline of retail.
"Miss Saionji, welcome. Our company has already..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
Fujita took a half-step forward. His towering, iron-tower-like body positioned itself between the managing director and Satsuki. Seeing this managing director, whose face was still oily even with antiperspirant spray, trying to get close to the young lady, Fujita thought he would have tackled him if she weren't the person he was negotiating with.
The executive officer abruptly stopped in his tracks.
He looked at the bodyguard so close to him, and the smile on his lips froze for a moment. His outstretched hands hung awkwardly in mid-air, caught in a dilemma.
He reacted quickly, immediately withdrawing his hands and pulling a white handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Then, he took two steps back, re-establishing a completely safe social distance. The smile on his face was even more humble and radiant than before.
"I'm sorry, I got too excited." The managing director nodded repeatedly and respectfully handed the price list to Executive Director Endo, who was standing next to him. "Please take a seat. This is our prized top-quality broth; please be sure to try it."
Satsuki's face showed a hint of displeasure; the people here seemed overly enthusiastic. Nevertheless, she walked to the long table and sat down.
She picked up the small white porcelain bowl in front of her, scooped up a spoonful of broth, and put it in her mouth.
Close your eyes. Swallow.
The warm liquid slid down my esophagus, and the rich umami flavor spread across my tongue. As the inventor of MSG and a century-old company, Ajinomoto's industrial purification process is indeed impeccable. Even setting aside that "additional target" hidden in the basement, in terms of this kind of standardized product that can precisely cater to the public's taste buds, it is entirely worthy of being S-Food's best partner.
Set down the porcelain spoon. The bottom of the spoon struck the cork coaster with a dull thud.
"It tastes very good." Satsuki nodded slightly, a polite and gentle smile on her face. "The umami extraction technology is still top-notch in the industry."
The executive breathed a sigh of relief and vigorously rubbed the seams of his suit trousers with both hands.
"As long as you are satisfied, our company can arrange a contract at any time! We will absolutely do our utmost to meet S-Food's needs in terms of production volume and delivery time!"
Satsuki picked up the warm water beside her and took a small sip.
Place the glass back on the cork coaster.
"Mr. Executive, S-Food is willing to sign this five-year contract."
The executive officer's eyes suddenly lit up. He excitedly rubbed the seams of his suit trousers with his hands, just about to bow and express his gratitude.
"but."
Satsuki abruptly changed the subject, her gaze passing over the managing director's shoulder and landing on the sweltering Tokyo street scene outside the glass window.
"S-Food will be launching its 'Premium Series' bento boxes next quarter, which can be microwaved for extended periods. The current polyethylene packaging film is highly susceptible to deformation at high temperatures, releasing trace amounts of toxins. This is an extremely troublesome issue."
Satsuki frowned slightly, revealing just the right amount of distress and irritation.
"In search of a new type of extremely heat-resistant and insulating resin film, the purchasing department has been searching all over the packaging plants in the Kanto region. I have to rush to Chiba this afternoon to visit the laboratory at Sumitomo Chemicals."
She sighed softly, picked up the pure white napkin on the table, and touched the corner of her mouth.
"If even Sumitomo Chemicals can't come up with suitable materials, this new project, which has already cost billions, will probably have to be put on hold indefinitely."
The executive's breathing stopped instantly.
His brain was racing in a state of extreme excitement. Sumitomo Chemical. A chemical giant. Ajinomoto, as the originator of MSG, is essentially a large chemical company with amino acid extraction as its core business.
A tremendous opportunity presented itself to him. If he could seize the opportunity to monopolize S-Food's high-end packaging material supply and snatch business from Sumitomo Chemical, the doors to the core board of directors would be wide open for him.
"Miss Saionji!"
The executive officer suddenly took half a step forward, his leather shoes scraping against the wooden floor with a short, grating sound. It made Fujita almost want to rush forward and knock him away.
"If you are looking for new resin materials... our company might be able to help you!"
Satsuki turned her head. Her movements were slow, and a hint of surprise and doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Ajinomoto? Your company is indeed an expert in seasonings." Her gaze swept over the pot of boiling broth. "But resin ingredients?"
The executive's eagerness to impress the important figures instantly fueled his desire to perform.
"Food is just our application!" The executive waved his hands eagerly, completely forgetting that the department he was talking about was about to have its budget cut, trying to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a name for himself. "We have decades of experience in amino acid polymers and basic chemistry research! In fact, our basic chemistry department has always had a lot of research on byproducts of specialty resins."
He swallowed hard, bent down deeply, and made an extremely respectful invitation gesture.
"If you don't mind, would you be so kind as to postpone your trip to Sumitomo Chemical and visit our underground laboratory instead? Perhaps you can find the heat-resistant materials you need there."
There was a two-second silence in the lounge.
The boiling broth emitted white steam.
Satsuki looked at the executive director's fawning manner, as if he was eager to present the laboratory to her immediately.
She didn't agree immediately, but instead tapped the table lightly with her gloved fingers.
"Da, da."
The soft tapping sound struck the executive's tense nerves. Beads of sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto his dark gray collar.
"Since Mr. Executive Duty Officer strongly recommends it."
Satsuki stood up and smoothed out the tiny wrinkles on her skirt with both hands.
"Then let's go take a look. The Saionji family's time is very valuable, and I hope your company's researcher won't let me down."
The executive officer breathed a sigh of relief.
"I won't let you down! I'll show you the way right away!"
He turned around, jogged towards the elevator, and impatiently pressed the down button.
Leather shoes and high heels stomped alternately on the wool carpet in the corridor.
The group returned to the elevator car. The numbers on the button panel scrolled downwards.