Sunstar Group

Sunstar is a Japanese global oral care, health and beauty, chemicals, indoor air quality and motorcycle parts conglomerate with international affiliates. The corporation has two main wings, healthcare and engineering. The current CEO is Hiroo Kaneda. Its main businesses are the development, manufacturing and sale of oral care products (toothpastes, toothbrushes and dental rinses) as well as of chemical formulations for industrial applications  (building materials and automotive) and motorcycle parts (sprockets and braking disks). In recent years it has been expanding into the area of Cosmetics and Health Food.

Sunstar's founder, Kunio Kaneda, established the Kaneda Keitai Shokai Company in Osaka, Japan in 1932 as a seller of rubber glue for bicycles. The introduction of metal tubes for packaging of the rubber glue - and later also toothpastes formed the basis for the early success of the business. The company since has developed into the leading oral care business in Japan with a significant international presence. The engineering business also has a leading position for several of its products in Japan and other markets. Group sales exceeded one billion United States dollars for the first time in the 1990s and are now at the level of 1.4 billion US dollars per year.

After having been listed on the Osaka Securities Exchange since 1961, Sunstar undertook a management and employee buyout of all shares in 2007. The ownership of Sunstar Japan and the other group companies of the Consumer Goods Business was transferred to Switzerland and the Engineering business to Singapore, in an effort to accelerate globalization. Sunstar group instituted global awards to recognize outstanding contributions to dental hygiene.

History
Sunstar was founded in 1932 by Kunio Kaneda, who established the Kaneda Brother's Company as a distributor of bicycle parts in Osaka, Japan. In 1933, he started selling rubber glue for puncture repair packed in a small metal tubes. Until 1946, Kaneda Brother’s Company produced metal tubes and founded Kaneda Light Metal Tube Industries.

In 1946, the company developed its first toothpaste, in a metal tube. Also that year, the company engaged in the production of bicycle parts. In 1948, the company started to sell medical toothpaste.

In 1988, Sunstar acquired the US dental manufacturer, J.O. Butler, Inc. 20 years later, in 2007, Sunstar started the transfer of the headquarters office functions to Switzerland and privatized ownership by management and employee share buyout (delisted from Osaka Securities Exchange). Also in 2007, the Sunstar Foundation and International Federation of Dental Hygienists instituted the World Dental Hygienist Awards to recognize dental hygienists who have made significant contributions to dental hygiene science, or to patients, the community and the general public.

In 2009, the headquarters building in Switzerland (Sunstar Suisse S.A., Etoy) was completed. A couple of years later, in 2011, Sunstar Acquired Interbros GmbH (German toothbrush and interdental brush manufacturer) as well as Degradable Solutions AG (Swiss bonegraft manufacturer). In 2013, Sunstar established a new product development center for the Industrial and Consumer Business in Singapore. In 2014, the fine blanking automobile metal parts was expanded in Indonesia and Thailand. The company also opened of a new base for the consumer business in Brazil.

In 2015, the second headquarters building in Etoy, Switzerland, was completed. In 2018 Sunstar Engineering Americas won an Innovation Award from the Adhesives and Sealants Council (ASC) for "automated application of UV Curable Foams". In 2019, Sunstar built a factory in Rain, Germany.