Investing in R&D to Enhance the Performance of COOL WOOD®, a Product from Shelter (Special Investment Operations)
- Company Name
- Shelter Co., Ltd.
Shelter Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Yamagata, Yamagata Prefecture), engages in the processing and sale of wood structural materials and the design and construction of, mainly, medium- to large-scale wood structures and custom-built houses. The KES® construction method, developed by the company and used in wood structures that employ metal joints, and COOL WOOD®, a fire-resistant wood material, the first of its type in Japan to receive a 3-hour fire-resistance certification, received high praise for their strong earthquake resistance and fire resistance, respectively.
DBJ, through its Special Investment Operations, provided capital funding for R&D to enhance the performance of COOL WOOD®. In addition, DBJ is leveraging its strong network to help Shelter execute its growth strategy, mainly through COOL WOOD® and its "City of Wood" concept.
Shelter is using the cutting-edge wood structure technology it has developed to expand the possibilities for using wood to construct large-scale facilities and high-rise buildings, which are conventionally built using steel frame-reinforced concrete. It is also using its integrated knowledge and technologies, from materials development to design and construction, to collaborate with businesses related to the entire forestry industry supply chain: upstream (forestry), middle stream (lumbering and designing) and downstream (construction). Through these initiatives, which include the use of locally grown wood to promote the development of forestry as part of a "sixth industry," Shelter is contributing to regional revitalization.