CONTENT BY THE WORLDFOLIO

Iwatani Materials brings ‘Made in Japan’ quality
products to a wider international customer baseWith a deft combination of functional material and film manufacturing, and home goods that strike the perfectbalance between function and beauty, Iwatani Materials is eyeing the international market.
As Japanese companies – facedwith a dwindling domestic
market due to Japan’s aging
population – continue to expand
overseas, many leverage theirreputation for high-quality, highend products and the ‘Made inJapan’ brand when competingon global markets. A renownedmanufacturer of household
wares, films for the agriculturalindustry, resin molded parts,
metal products and functional
materials, Iwatani Materials
Corporation is one such company
doing just that.

Cover for outdoor airconditioners
A subsidiary of Iwatani Corporation, which was establishedin 1930, Iwatani Materials wasfounded in 1967 and has sincegrown to become a leading manufacturer of plastic and metal products, with 300 employees working
across three divisions and 13 units.
Aside from its manufacturingbase in Japan, the company has
factories in Thailand and China,
where products are made to thesame ‘Made-in-Japan’ standards
as those manufactured domestically. There are about 1000 staff
members working in our Thai andChinese factories.”“Iwatani Materials manufactures various items, and we playa key role in interfacing with customers all over the world,” sayspresident Masayoshi Masuda, before highlighting the competitiveedge of Japanese firms. “Japanesecompanies are particularly good at production
control

GOURLAB

I-Wrapso we have a very high level ofquality and stability that enables
us to manufacture very high-quality products; and we can deliver
quickly to customers.”
Iwatani Materials’ commitment
to high-quality and unique products
has led to the development of its‘I’m D’ brand concept for householdwares. “It’s basically about creating
beautiful and highly functional designed products. The brand concept
is for the customer to say, ‘Oh, thisis exactly what I was looking for!’,”says Mr. Masuda. “In these kinds ofindustries in general, manufacturers make something that is easierfor them to make, easier to deliver,or easier to display in stores. For the‘I’m D’ products, we consider whatthe customers are actually looking
for, rather than what’s easiest for
us to produce.”

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Among the other high-quality
company products highlighted by
the president are I-Wrap, a heatresistant plastic bag for kitchen
use that has been a popular seller
since 1976, and ECOWARMER, a
new type of yutampo (a productthat has been used in Japan sinceancient times) that provides users
with extra heat when sleeping.
“ Th e EC OWA R M E R i s
our latest, and most highend version. It was released
this winter. The outside coverof the ECOWARMER is madefrom a composite material of
Washi and fiber, and the container is actually different fromexisting products, using special
raw materials. If you touch it,
you can feel the strength andquality of the material, and if

ECOWARMER
you put hot water on it, it gets
softer,” explains Mr. Masuda.
“By using this product you canminimize the heating that you use
in your home, particularly while
asleep. The product itself is also
environmentally friendly, so it contributes to a sustainable society.”
Another popular Iwatani
Materials household product,
GOURLAB is a type of cookingware for microwaves and ovens,which offers very high temperature resistance of up to 230 degrees Celsius (446 degrees Fahrenheit). An invention of Iwatani
Materials employees, GOURLAB
is already selling well in the U.S
and China vía the Internet, andthe company is considering developing new sizes.
As part of the Iwatani Materials’ sustainability drive, thecompany has also launched an
initiative focused on environmentally-friendly resin products incollaboration with the IwataniGroup. “We procure materials
from the Iwatani Group, which is“We aim to becomea creative companythrough our uniqueness,originality, and our own
sustainable products.”
Masayoshi Masuda,President,
Iwatani Materials Corporation
expanding globally, and manufacture products using plant-derived
bio-resin, which is attracting attention as an environmental material,” adds Mr. Masuda. “As wecontinue to sell plastic productsin the future, we will also work on
product development using environmentally-friendly materials.”

Functional polyethylene film
“High Barrier” for agro industry
As Iwatani Materials looks toreach more customers worldwide
with its wide range of products,
Mr. Masuda stresses that thecompany will continue to follow
its mission and vision focused onsustainability. “Iwatani Materials
should continuously develop, so
our goal is to achieve sustainable
innovation. We aim to become acreative company through ouruniqueness, originality, and ourown sustainable products.”

www.imcjpn.co.jp