The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development process of a surface treatment supplier that originated from a private university business after World War II by using a historical approach to technology acquisition with innovation through industry-university cooperation.

Kanto Gakuin University in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, opened a university plant when it moved the campus from Miharudai to Mutsuura after World War II. This plant became a business for the university and developed into Kanto Kasei Co., Ltd, a Tier 1 automotive parts supplier.

The reasons for the conversion to Kanto Kasei Kogyo from the university plant were internal and external changes in the environment, including the expansion of the surface treatment business, the start of operations at a new plant outside the university, difficulties in operating the existing plant due to an intensifying university dispute, and a request from the senior management for an opinion on separation. As a result, Kanto Kasei Co., Ltd became independent from Kanto Gakuin University by inheriting the management philosophies, tangible assets such as capital and equipment, intangible assets such as the university’s school motto, and managerial and technical personnel from the university.