What Novopan does

Japan Novopan Industrial Co., Ltd. (Novopan) is a privately held Japanese particleboard manufacturer founded in 1956 in Sakai, Osaka. It produces ~240,000 tonnes/year of particleboard across two plants (Sakai and Tsukuba) plus a joint venture in Shizuoka with Eidai Sangyo (EN Board), commanding an estimated 30% share of Japan's particleboard market for 20+ consecutive years. Its two core product lines are (1) "novopanSTPⅡ," a 9mm MLIT-certified structural bearing particleboard with wall-bearing factors up to 4.8x and shear rigidity more than 2x that of structural plywood, and (2) standard particleboard made from 100% recycled waste wood and unused lumber, graded for floor underlayment, roof and wall sheathing, furniture cores, and dry-type sound-insulation double-floor systems. Both carry F☆☆☆☆ non-formaldehyde ratings.

Manufacturing relies on imported German and Italian presses with computer-controlled, 3-layer (surface-core-surface) mat forming using synthetic-resin adhesives; the Sakai Plant also operates an integrated biomass recycling system (6,500kW power generation plus 221 tonnes/day waste incineration) that uses wood chips unsuitable for board production, yielding near-complete on-site energy self-sufficiency and monetizable Green Power Certificates since May 2009. The firm fixes an estimated 280,000+ tonnes of CO2/year.

The business model is B2B direct sales, not list-price retail, executed through five company-owned sales offices (Osaka, Tokyo, Nagoya, Sakai, Tsukuba) and a historical agent channel (Mitsui & Co., Matsushita Kosan, Inabata & Co.); the JV with Eidai Sangyo adds Central Japan capacity. Customers are major Japanese homebuilders (Sekisui House, Daiwa House, Asahi Kasei Homes, Panasonic Homes, Toyota Home, Mitsui Home, Tama Home, Sumitomo Forestry), building-materials manufacturers (Sekisui Chemical, Daiken), and trading houses (Itochu Building Materials, Inabata). Pricing is negotiated through the direct sales force based on volume and specifications, with products positioned as a price-stable, JIS-compliant alternative to imported tropical plywood.

Name

Novopan

Legal name

Japan Novopan Industrial Co., Ltd.

Website

https://novopan.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Japan Novopan Industrial is Japan's largest particleboard manufacturer (~30% domestic share, 240,000 tonnes/year) producing 100% recycled-wood particleboard and MLIT-certified structural bearing panels (novopanSTPⅡ) for homebuilders, contractors, furniture makers, and building-materials traders, operating plants in Sakai and Tsukuba with a Shizuoka JV.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sakai

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Particleboard (ノボパン / novopanSTPⅡ) manufacturing and sales: Novopan's primary revenue stream comes from manufacturing and selling particleboard and structural bearing panels to building material distributors, homebuilders, furniture manufacturers, and construction companies. The company produces approximately 240,000 tonnes/year of particleboard at its Sakai and Tsukuba plants, achieving over 20 consecutive years as the #1 player in Japan's particleboard market. Pricing is stable as a manufactured JIS-compliant product with no commodity price fluctuations.
2. Biomass power generation (バイオマス発電): The company operates biomass power generation facilities at its Sakai Plant (6,500kW capacity) using wood chips unsuitable for board production as fuel. Generated electricity powers the factory operations, and surplus energy is sold via the Green Power Certificate system since May 2009, creating an additional revenue stream from environmental attributes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Japan Novopan Industrial Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells particleboard (パーティクルボード) products at two main plants (Sakai and Tsukuba) with annual production of approximately 240,000 tonnes. The portfolio includes novopanSTPⅡ, a 9mm government-certified structural bearing panel for earthquake/typhoon-resistant wall construction, and the standard Novopan particleboard used for floor underlayment, roof sheathing, and furniture core materials. Both products are made from 100% recycled waste wood, and the company also operates an integrated biomass power generation system at the Sakai Plant.

Product overview

Novopan offers a portfolio of particleboard products centered on two main offerings: novopanSTPⅡ, a structural bearing panel with earthquake and typhoon resistance certified by Japanese government authorities, and the standard ノボパン (Novopan) particleboard made from 100% recycled wood materials. Both products utilize waste wood and unused wood as raw materials. The company also operates a complementary biomass power generation business that supports manufacturing operations through thermal recycling of wood chips unsuitable for board production, achieving energy self-sufficiency at the Sakai Plant.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• novopanSTPII: Structural bearing particleboard panel with high earthquake and typhoon resistance, wall factor up to 4.8x
• ノボパン (Novopan)

Products and services

• novopanSTPⅡ Structural Bearing Particleboard A 9mm thick structural particleboard with earthquake and typhoon resistance, certified by Japan's Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (government certification numbers FRM-0177-1, FRM-0179-1, FRM-0242-1, FRM-0723, TBFC-0037-1, TBFC-0038-1). Wall strength multipliers range from 2.5 to 4.8 depending on construction method and nail spacing. Made from recycled wood and unused wood with non-formaldehyde adhesives (F☆☆☆☆ rating). Used by homebuilders, contractors, and architects for structural wall sheathing in wooden frame and platform frame construction.
• Novopan Standard Particleboard (パーティクルボード「ノボパン」) Particleboard manufactured from 100% recycled waste wood and unused wood materials, designated under Japan's Green Purchasing Law. Available in multiple variants based on bending strength (8-type, 13-type, 18-type), water resistance (U, M, P), and formaldehyde emissions (F☆☆☆ to F☆☆☆☆). Used for floor underlayment, roof sheathing, wall sheathing, furniture, and cabinetry applications. JIS A5908 certified.
• Biomass Power Generation (バイオマス発電) Biomass power generation using wood chips unsuitable for board production. The Sakai Plant generates 6,500kW of electricity and processes 221 tonnes of waste per day through thermal recycling, achieving energy self-sufficiency for manufacturing operations. The Tsukuba Plant generates approximately 7,970,960 kWh/year. Surplus environmental attributes are sold via the Green Power Certificate system (since May 2009).

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual CO2 fixation of 280,000+ tonnes — equivalent to removing ~120,000 private cars from the road or absorbing CO2 across 700 km² of forest
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SMB Building Materials Co., Ltd. (SMB建材株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026SMB Building Materials Co., Ltd. joined with Panasonic Interior Building Materials and Nippon Novopan Industry Co., Ltd. in a three-party partnership with Ibaraki Prefecture, signed March 1, 2026. The partnership supports the 'Ibaraki Tsumugi no Mori' green space conservation initiative, funding forest maintenance activities (thinning, underbrush cutting, and planting) in Katsuragi District, Ibaraki Prefecture, through 2031. Total donation: 1 million yen for a five-year forest maintenance program.
• Nippon Novopan Industry Co., Ltd. (日本ノボパン工業株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Nippon Novopan Industry Co., Ltd. (日本ノボパン工業株式会社) partnered with Panasonic Interior Building Materials and SMB Building Materials in a three-party agreement with Ibaraki Prefecture, signed March 1, 2026, for the 'Ibaraki Tsumugi no Mori' green space conservation project. The donation of 1 million yen covers forest maintenance over five years through February 2031. This is the third regional conservation partnership following agreements with Gunma Prefecture (September 2022) and Hyogo Prefecture (August 2024).
• Panasonic Interior Building Materials Co., Ltd. ( Panasonic Interior Building Materials Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Panasonic Interior Building Materials Co., Ltd. led a three-party partnership with Nippon Novopan Industry and SMB Building Materials, signed March 1, 2026 with Ibaraki Prefecture. The partnership supports the 'Ibaraki Tsumugi no Mori' conservation initiative (thinning, underbrush cutting, planting in Katsuragi District) with a joint donation of 1 million yen over five years through 2031. This aligns with the companies' shared carbon neutrality by 2050 goals.
• Eidai Sangyo Co., Ltd. (永大産業株式会社)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 April 2019Japan Novopan Industrial and Eidai Sangyo established a joint venture 'EN Board Co., Ltd.' (ENボード株式会社) in Shizuoka Prefecture in April 2019 to manufacture and sell particleboard. EN Board obtained JIS certification and began commercial production in 2022. This partnership extends Novopan's manufacturing capacity and market reach in the Shizuoka/Central Japan region. A new Oyama office was established in 2023 related to this joint venture.
• Inabata & Co., Ltd. (稲畑産業株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1963Inabata & Co., Ltd. became the third Novopan sales agent in October 1963, joining Mitsui & Co. and Matsushita Kosan, expanding the sales agent network to three companies.
• Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (三井物産株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1956Mitsui & Co., Ltd. has served as a Novopan sales agent since March 1960 (along with Matsushita Kosan), enabling broad national distribution of Novopan products through Mitsui's extensive trading network.
• Japan Fiberboard Industry Association (日本繊維板工業会 / JFPMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapan Novopan Industrial is a member of the Japan Fiberboard Industry Association (JFPMA), which established the Wood-Based Panel Environmental Declaration and Recycling Mark in October 2000. JFPMA members collectively pursue environmental load reduction.
• Green Power Certificate systemminorOthersSince May 2009, Japan Novopan Industrial has used the Green Power Certificate system to sell the environmental value (CO2 reduction credits) generated by its biomass power generation to third parties, monetizing the environmental attributes of its renewable energy production.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Swiss Krono Group: Swiss-headquartered global producer of engineered wood products (particleboard, MDF, OSB, laminate flooring) with operations across Europe and North America. Brand DNA traces to the same Swiss Novopan/Fahrni technology lineage that Novopan licensed into Japan in 1956.
• Kronospan Holdings: Global leader in wood-based panels (particleboard, MDF, OSB, laminate flooring) across Europe, North America, and Asia. Competitor to Novopan in international markets where Japanese customers or distributors source offshore, and sets the global cost/quality benchmark for the industry.
• Egger Group (Fritz Egger GmbH & Co. OG): Austrian family-owned global manufacturer of wood-based panels (particleboard, MDF, OSB) and laminates serving furniture, construction, and flooring end-markets. Closely comparable to Novopan as a family-led integrated wood-products industrial peer with similar downstream customer categories.
• Louisiana-Pacific Corporation: North American manufacturer of structural wood panels (OSB, siding, engineered I-joists) serving residential construction. Relevant peer for structural wall sheathing applications where novopanSTPⅡ competes against OSB and plywood.
• West Fraser Timber Co., Ltd. Canadian diversified wood-products company with OSB, lumber, pulp, and engineered panel operations; structural-panel overlap with Novopan's novopanSTPⅡ for residential construction sheathing categories.
• Weyerhaeuser Company: North American timber REIT with engineered wood products (OSB, plywood, mass timber/CLT) and significant lumber capacity. Relevant structural-panel peer competing in the same end-uses as novopanSTPⅡ, particularly as mass timber gains code recognition.

Others

• Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. Major Japanese vertically integrated timber and homebuilder company that also produces wood products for residential construction. Both a major Novopan customer and a participant in the wood-based construction materials value chain — comparable in scale of Japanese housing exposure though not a direct particleboard competitor.

Direct peers

• Eidai Sangyo Co., Ltd. Direct peer as Novopan's joint venture partner for EN Board Co., Ltd. (established 2019), manufacturing particleboard in Japan for residential and construction applications. Both companies address the same Japanese structural and standard particleboard customer base.
• Daiken Industries Co., Ltd. Major Japanese manufacturer of wood-based panels, flooring, and building materials with substantial particleboard and MDF production capacity. Listed as a Novopan customer/trading partner, making it a uniquely direct domestic competitor that also intersects commercially with Novopan.
• Nippon MDF Co., Ltd. Japan's leading MDF manufacturer producing medium-density fiberboard as both substitute and adjacent product to particleboard. Comparable in serving furniture and construction core material markets, and subject to the same Japan-only demographic and regulatory environment as Novopan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Novopan