TBM and Ricoh Have Collaborated in the Distribution of a New Material, LIMEX Sheets.

TOKYO, November 7, 2017 (Newswire.com) - "LIMEX" is a new material developed by TBM Co., Ltd. ("TBM") which is mainly made of limestone and turned into alternatives of paper and plastic without using water nor pulp. TBM announces that TBM and Ricoh have collaborated in the distribution of LIMEX sheets for POD (Print On Demand) market. LIMEX sheets that are high in quality in environmental performance, water resistance and durability can be used from a restaurant menu to a business card. Ricoh Japan Corp., a domestic sales company of Ricoh (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President/Corporate Officer: Hidetaka Matsuishi) has started to use it, and Ricoh will introduce LIMEX sheets to printing companies and other industries that use RICOH pro C series/pro L series. This is the first initiative in collaboration with a printer maker for POD market. TBM will then eventually collaborate with other printing companies.

Background
Nowadays, companies are expected to concern about environmental issues for SDGs. In 2015, TBM constructed its first plant in Shiroishi city Miyagi Prefecture. In 2016, TBM won the first ever annual Social Impact Award, at the Plug and Play Awards in Silicon Valley, USA. This award is given to a company that is considered as the most influential company to the society. TBM has conducted LCA (Life Cycle Assessments), collaborating with Oki lab, IIS, the University of Tokyo since April 2016. LIMEX is made from limestone; Japan itself is 100 percent self-sufficient in limestone. There are abundant reserves of limestone available and it is considered virtually inexhaustible as producing LIMEX paper alternatives consumes almost no water nor wood pulp. SDG's Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation is relevant to TBM's business and TBM believes that they could contribute to it. This collaboration with Ricoh Japan Corp. came into agreement because TBM and Ricoh Japan Corp. have the same goal to align with strategic objectives toward a sustainable society.

Contents of collaboration

TBM will strengthen sales of LIMEX sheets through Ricoh's online shopping website called NetRICOH, which uses RICOH Pro C series/Pro L series, a production printer of Ricoh (LIMEX verification test has been carried out for both). The lineup of LIMEX sheets will be added onto Ricoh's paper catalogs for sales. When printing LIMEX sheets with Pro C series and Pro L series, it is available in a specific setting mode. For the Pro L series, a profile is newly set up for LIMEX sheets.

Corresponding model of LIMEX sheet and correspondence sheet :
RICOH Pro C series Compatible models
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Application:
LIMEX sheets that are compatible with POD:
LMB-183 300

RICOH Pro L series
Compatible models:

About LIMEX
While producing one ton of regular paper would normally require roughly 20 tree and 100 tons of water, LIMEX can be produced one ton of LIMEX sheets with 0.6 to 0.8 tons of limestone and roughly 0.2 to 0.4 tons of polyolefin and without using wood or water. One box of business cards which contains 100 LIMEX business cards could save 10 liters of water. Memory engraved in a box is designed as a way that makes it easy for users to recognize the contribution to water resources when users take out a business card.
In 2013, TBM was chosen by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to be an innovation center and was aided by an assistance program (“Subsidy for Advanced Technology Demonstration and Evaluation Facility Development”).

In 2014, LIMEX acquired a patent in Japan. It has acquired patents in six countries worldwide and applied for patents in 43 countries including America and Europe.

In February 2015, TBM completed a pilot plant in Shiroishi, Miyagi Prefecture, with an annual production capacity of 6,000 tons.

In 2016, TBM won the first-ever annual Social Impact Award, at the Plug And Play Awards in Silicon Valley, USA. This award is given to a company that has been considered the most influential company in society.

In March 2017, TBM announced it intends to establish a cooperation agreement to explore manufacturing of LIMEX in Saudi Arabia with JGC and NICDP.

In July 2017, TBM was been selected as one of the five top companies to participate in the Innovation Showcase of the Japan-US Innovation Awards program held at Stanford University.

Source: TBM Co., Ltd