On January 1, 1980, BYK opens an office in Osaka, Japan, thus establishing its first branch in Asia. Although BYK has been exporting additives to the Far East since the 1960s, it is aiming to systematically tap the markets, with a focus on Japan. Osaka is the headquarters of major Japanese paint companies, as well as the agencies with which BYK collaborates.

In addition to the main office in Osaka, sales offices will soon be established in Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, among other places. All team members are paint or plastics chemists and have professional experience from the user industry. Another thing they have in common is that they all come from the region. The Asian employees have excellent knowledge of the market - and in the 1980s, they opened up South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Pakistan in particular.

To strengthen customer relationships, BYK soon invites Asian professionals to seminars in Wesel – a productive exchange summed up in the Japanese offices with a clever slogan: "BYK: Brings You Knowledge."